Life Is Strange
by TW1
Summary: Chapter 19 final chapter is up after over three years hiatus. Gohan and Videl romance with some humor and some action and adventure. The crisis is over and Gohan and Videl get married.
1. It's A Weird Life But It's Mine

/*  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ isn't mine, Gohan is, well in my dreams he is at any rate.  
  
Anything between /* and */ is just me budding in, so is anything after // up until the next hard return.  
For those of you that realised or were wondering, I'm trying to learn to program in C++ as a hobby, that's the origin of the commentary codes.  
Anything between * stars * is an action.  
  
*/  
  
/*   
  
Opening notes.  
This is my first time writing DBZ-fanfiction so bear with me.  
Though my English is good, I'm not a native speaker so please forgive any mistakes I might make along the way. // I'd ask you to forgive those anyway if I were a native speaker.  
As you just saw there can be a comment in a comment. // Yeah, no kiddin.  
  
I'm not originally a huge Gohan/Videl fan, I want him myself. * pouts * But I happen to be a self-proclaimed hopeless romantic, so here it goes.  
  
This takes place after episode 188 "Rescue Videl", so Videl hasn't found out about Gohan being Sayaman yet. This is an AU and though I'm not quite sure yet, I'll probably just scrap the entire storyline after episode 188, though I may write my own version of the world tournament in here at some point, we'll have to wait and see.  
  
If you're wondering what my native language is if it isn't English, it's Dutch.  
  
And finally if you're wondering I'm a guy.  
  
*/  
  
/* Just a bit of an ad here, for pteska, my sister who also has a story posted here on fanfiction.net completely different style from mine, but you might want to read it. // I could say you might not want to read it but that wouldn't be good for family relations ;).  
*/  
  
Life Is Strange  
  
Saga: Strange  
  
Chapter 1: It's a weird life but it's mine.  
  
Gohan was flying home, feeling on top of the world. He still could barely believe the discussion he'd just overheard before he left school for the day.  
"Look you two," he'd heard Sharpner say from his hiding place, "when a geek disappears you're not supposed to worry about it, it's a good thing."  
Videl had countered, "Gohan's not a geek. He's a heck of a lot cooler than you Sharpner."  
Sharpner had argued back for a bit, and soon the argument had turned by Erasa saying that Videl was stronger than Sharpner. Sharpner, or rather his pride, had protested, but they all knew the truth, Gohan certainly had no doubts in he abilities to handle Sharpner after he'd seen her deal with the leader of the Red-Shark gang. She hadn't needed his help with that guy after all, though he still felt it was a good thing he'd been there, as he didn't think the other gang members, with the fire-arms, would have just watched.  
  
He was still some way away from his house and in mid-air when he changed out of his Sayaman costume by pressing the button on his watch. Contrary to what he had lead Bulma, and basically all the others believe, he wasn't so geeky that he actually thought that costume was cool, he didn't think it was too bad, but he wouldn't normally wear it, however that just made it all the better as a disguise.   
// I know it's a bit OOC but come on, they really did over do the geeky-ness a bit, I'm just correcting it.  
  
The reason he felt safe to change out of it here was because for the next 5 miles, until he was home, there was no chance of anyone seeing him. He'd always wondered why for those miles of land even the scattered buildings stopped. A few days ago he'd decided to do the research, and had found out a surprising new bit of family history.  
His great-grandfather Gohan, who really wasn't his great-grandfather at all in the bloodline sense of the word, had apparently bought the land shortly after finishing his turtle-hermit training from master Roshi. The house where the Son family now lived was not far away from where Gohan had build his own house, and apparently he'd bought the land around it to ensure his rest. The old man had apparently wanted to be hermit just like his teacher Roshi, except he'd probably behaved a bit better, but then it wasn't to hard to behave better than Roshi. Gohan sighed, "Why are most of my friends, aliens, perverts, shape-shifting pigs or weird in some other way?" He thought out loud to himself, knowing he couldn't answer that question.  
He liked, and loved as friends all of them, even Vegeta. After all he knew that Vegeta, though he might like to pretend otherwise didn't hate him. Vegeta mostly hated himself. Having to work for the guy that blew up your home world for years, being a trained killer from a young age, and now, trying to life in peace, with a wife and kid, would be confusing for anyone. "For someone who's been through that I suppose Vegeta is actually relatively sane." Gohan thought, as a smirk, not all together unlike Vegeta's settled on his face.  
  
"Hi mom, I'm home." He yelled as he landed in the open door. He was a bit on the late side, as he'd flown slowly, he'd wanted to think, and somehow flying made his mind clear. Chi-Chi knew.  
"Thinking again." Was all she said as he walked further into the house toward the kitchen where she was busy watching the boiling pots and setting the table.  
He nodded.  
"Well you're just in time son. Just go take a quick shower and change, dinner will be ready in ten minutes."  
Gohan just nodded again and headed upstairs to take his shower.  
  
As Gohan was entering the bathroom of the Son house Videl was just leaving her own bathroom in Hercules mansion. She'd been a bit slow coming home, as she'd stopped to take care of a few crooks on the way back. Sayaman hadn't shown, it seemed as though he only came to the same place she was when the crooks she was dealing with were above average, not the kind of petty thugs she'd just run into.  
Sayaman ... He still was a mystery to her. Who was he really, she'd thought he might be Gohan, until she'd seen Gohan take that punch in the face, so that ruled him out, on the other hand, Gohan had come away from that punch without so much as a bruise or a black eye, his face hadn't even been red where he'd been hit. And then there was the Gold-Fighter, a guy with super powers that just comes out of the blue one day to stop a bank from being robbed, and then disappears never to be seen again. However Videl wasn't one to think of the appearance of Sayaman that same evening as a coincidence.  
Videl sighed as she saw the time. There's one thing to be said for Sayaman she thought. He may be a bit of a geek sometimes, but he's better company than my dad. At least he doesn't sound like he's a broken record of his own public relations speeches.  
She sighed as she looked at her mother's picture, standing on her dresser. I wish you hadn't died mom. She thought. You might have been able to keep him somewhat sane after that whole Cell business. On the other hand at least you didn't have to see what a fool your husband has become, or how confused your daughter is.  
She sighed yet again as she left her room and went down stairs, maybe some crook would have to good sense to commit a crime during dinner, giving her an excuse to flee the table where her dad would no doubt be recounting one glorious tale or another of his past as a fighter. Or worst of all the story about how he had defeated Cell. Somehow during that story more than in any other he seemed to be saying a lot without telling her anything.   
Unfortunately for Videl there were no crooks with good timing out there that night. They must have noticed I kick harder when I'm frustrated because I've just had to listen to dad. She thought to herself with a grim smile.  
Fortunately for her however dinner wasn't as bad as usual apparently her dad had been hanging out with a girl-friend, or whatever he called those silly women that seemed to stick to him like glue, and hadn't had a chance to have his many afternoon snacks, meaning he didn't have time to talk all through dinner cause he had to eat.  
After dinner, even though her father didn't say anything, she knew she was obliged to stay downstairs with him, at least for a while. As usual the only thing that he watched on the TV in the living room were old tapes of his great fights. She actually felt that she was in danger of he dinner coming back out when she was the way he was cheering himself on. She tried to ignore him for a while and then excused herself to go upstairs.   
  
Gohan's evening was a lot more enjoyable than Videl's, his dinner was actually quite pleasurable and not just the lack of displeasure that had been so welcome to Videl this evening. It also lasted longer than Videl's dinner. Due to two reasons in particular, feeding to demi-Saiyans was something that took some time, even if they were only demi-Saiyans, and young ones at that they had full Saiyan appetites. And second there was the pleasant during and after dinner conversation. Goten had been watching the news while Chi-Chi had been cooking and had seen the report on the hostage situation at city-hall and how his big brother Gohan, as the great Sayaman had saved the day, together with Videl.  
"Who is this girl Videl anyway?" Asked Chi-Chi. "I seem to be hearing a lot about her lately."  
"Well she's in my class at Oranges Star High," Gohan replied, "and she's good at martial arts, good by normal standards anyway, she doesn't know how to use her Ki though. Anyway, she helps the police fight crime and I try to tag along as the great Sayaman, in case she needs help."  
"So," Chi-Chi asked, "who are her parents, why do they allow a young girl to fight crime?"  
"I don't know about her mother." Gohan answered. "I think she's dead, as for her father..." he swallowed hard preparing for his mother's on coming rage, "it's Hercule."  
Chi-Chi's reaction was exactly what Gohan had expected. Her arms were moving up and down so fast that even his Saiyan eyes had trouble seeing them and she was screaming at the top of her lungs.  
Anime style sweat drops went flying all around Chi-Chi's head as her general scream of loathing and anger turned into words.  
"Aaaaahhhhhh. Not that ridiculous weak fool that I could beat that claims he defeated Cell. Not that man that made a fortune of what you did. Not that self-satisfied idiot with his stupid merchandising, with the dumb adds on every channel when you turn on the TV. Please tell me you're not friends with his daughter."  
Gohan knew his mom well enough to know that the best ways to make her anger go would be to make her laugh, or to sweet-talk her. Given the circumstances he decided on the first of his two options.  
"I'm not friends with his daughter." He said in such a stupid hollow tone that his mom had to realise he wasn't telling the truth.  
"Are you telling the truth?" She asked.  
God, thought Gohan, why does she even bother asking. "No," he said out loud, "I'm just telling you what you told me to tell you."  
Chi-Chi continued to look angry for a while, but then suddenly her facial expression softened into a smile.   
"You always knew what your mother wanted to hear." She said with a smile at Gohan. "But I take it you are friends with her."  
"Yeah, we're friends." Gohan replied. "But just remember what you told me when I asked you why you liked Trunks while you and Vegeta don't always get along to well." He would have said hate each other, but decided not to in front of Goten, he didn't want his little brother to know his mom didn't get along with his best friends father.  
"I know, I told you never to judge someone by actions that are not their own."  
And soon everything returned to normal at the Son dinner table as Chi-Chi brought desert.  
  
Chi-Chi had continued to smile throughout dinner and still did so when she was doing the dishes. Dinnertime is definitely family time, she thought as she hummed to herself. The boys were outside now, probably training, though they had offered to help her, but Chi-Chi wasn't going to let the touch her precious plates unless they were eating from them. Even when they weren't Super-Saiyans they just didn't seem to know their own strength sometimes.  
Super-Saiyans, she still hadn't told Gohan about his little brother becoming one, she really should, he needed to show Goten it was alright, as she'd over-reacted a bit, but then, who wouldn't over-react after being kicked into a tree by their adorable 7 year old son.  
She sighed again as she looked at the dishes, the pile was what would in a normal human household be considered at least a weeks worth of dishes for six or seven people, but here it was just another night for the son family. Well, she had made chicken, which both of the boys liked a lot, so there was a bit more than some nights, when she made something like meatloaf, that Goten wasn't fond of, he would eat less than usual limiting himself to only a dozen servings. Gohan seemed to have lost any fussiness he might have over eating after surviving in the wild on his own as part of Piccolo training him, Chi-Chi guessed that even a Saiyan's culinary standards would become more flexible still after living of raw dinosaur-tail-stakes for almost a year.  
In the distance outside she could hear the sounds of her two boys training, then a surprised yell, a moment of silence and then even more intense training sounds.  
It seems Gohan's found out about his brother being a Super-Saiyan, she thought to herself, I'll have to talk to him about it when they get back.  
  
Gohan couldn't believe his eyes, he'd just been training with his brother, and after a powerful exchange had managed to get the best of him. Goten was soaring through the air from the impact of his brother's fist when suddenly he'd turned Super-Saiyan. Gohan had let out a surprised yell, as he blocked his brother's attack, making Goten stop in his tracks.  
"G-Goten." Gohan said with surprise shaking his voice. "You're a Super-Saiyan."  
"Aha." Goten said with that innocent look on his face that reminded Gohan so much of his father.  
"When did this happen?"  
"I don't really remember, the first time was a little while ago, when mom was training me. And this is only the second time."  
"Well I'll have to teach you to do it at will then."   
"What do you mean Gohan?"  
"Well, when you first become a Super-Saiyan you can only do it when it sort of happens to you, it takes training to be able to do it when you want to. Like this." With those last few words Gohan concentrated on the memories he needed, he wouldn't be happy the first few seconds of being a Super-Saiyan, he never was, but the feeling usually passed quickly. The memories surfaced as always. Raditz taking him from his father. Krillin stuck on Frieza's horn back on Namek. Dende getting hit by Frieza's Ki-blast. Piccolo killed by Nappa, protecting Gohan, Piccolo nearly dead at the hands of Frieza, Krillin dead as Frieza stood their laughing.  
All the pain and anger came over him in a fraction of a second. The next moment he could feel the power build up in his body and then it happened, his muscles grew bigger and his hair changed colour, as did his eyes. However that wasn't the biggest change that happened. His Ki shot up tremendously and he could feel a power flowing through his veins that Goten too had now tasted, the true power of Saiyan blood.  
Their spar continued with the intensity any fight between Super-Saiyans would have, but when Gohan took to the air, Goten accused him of cheating since the youngster had not yet learned to fly.  
"Hey, don't worry about it." Gohan said. "I'll teach you. But not now okay squirt, we'll just continue our spar for a while longer and then go back in other wise mom would get mad at me for keeping you out too late."  
"Okay." Goten called with that special goofy happy look on his face that could betray to anyone who knew him who his father was.  
  
After Gohan and Goten went back inside Goten was send almost immediately to the bathroom to get ready for bed while Gohan and Chi-Chi talked. Chi-Chi quickly told Gohan about what had happened when Goten turned Super-Saiyan on her, and how she had reacted by calling him a monster.  
"I'm afraid I over-reacted a bit." She said. "But I remembered all the trouble we had when you and Goku were Super-Saiyans all the time, before the cell games, I swear there wasn't a piece of tableware or furniture that didn't need replacing in those few days."  
"Yeah, I remember." Gohan said with a slight smile. "I guess that would make you scared of having an other Super-Saiyan around, but don't worry about it, I'll talk to the little guy. I'll take a shower after him, and then talk to him in our bedroom, he'll be up a little later than usual," as he said this Chi-Chi's face turned to a frown, "but I think it's best to get this all taken care of as soon as possible otherwise the kid'll be getting mixed signals, you calling him a monster and me training him, way too long. Besides, you're still teaching him at home, he can sleep in for once."  
Chi-Chi sighed and nodded, she knew that what her son was suggesting was really the best thing for the situation, but that didn't mean it was easy for her to let go of the strict principles she used regarding to her boys' education.  
So after Goten had gone to bed Gohan hit the showers and made his way to the bedroom the boys shared. Gohan actually had a room of his own, but he only used that to study in. Goten liked to have his brother sleep in his room, it wasn't unusual for a kid that had grown up hearing stories of Frieza and Cell to have nightmares, or even think they might be hiding under his bed, so having Gohan there helped keep him calm, just ensuring the rest of the entire family.  
"You awake squirt." Gohan asked as he slipped into his bed, next to his little brother's.   
"Aha." Goten replied.  
"So, tell me what happened with you and mom the first time you went Super-Saiyan?"  
"Gohan, you know you're not supposed to talk to me after my bed-time."  
"Don't worry squirt, mom won't know." Gohan assured his brother. "So tell me, what happened?"  
"Well, she kicked me as we were sparring, and I was flying away, much like when you hit me earlier. And then I must have gone super, I didn't even notice it, but I kicked mom, and then she went flying into this tree."  
"What happened then, how did mom react?" Gohan asked, though he already knew the answer.  
"She seemed scared, or upset or something, and she called me a monster."  
"Well don't worry about that too much squirt. I think you're a nice monster, besides, she probably just called you that remembering all the things dad and I broke when we were Super-Saiyans."  
"Why'd you break a lot of stuff Gohan?" Goten's voice was starting to sound sleepy as he said this.  
"We just didn't know how to control our own strength, just like you didn't know what you were doing when you kicked mom into that tree. When I teach you to become a Super-Saiyan at will, I'll try to teach you how to control it better but it's harder when you're a Super-Saiyan than it is normally."  
"Okay." Goten mumbled in a half yawn. "I ... think ... I'll ... go ... to sleeeep."  
And with that the younger of the two demi-Saiyans dozed off.  
  
Gohan lay in the darkness for a while, thinking about his day. He was really proud of his little brother of course, but looking back he had to admit that the discovery he'd made about Goten wasn't the thing that was most on his mind.  
Why wouldn't Videl leave him alone, she seemed intent on discovering who the great Sayaman was, and when he was himself she seemed intent on finding out what he was hiding.  
Better get some sleep. He thought to himself after pondering Videl for a while. I have to get up early if I want to avoid her chasing me in her jet-copter again. It's really strange to be chased like that by someone you want to be a friend to, I don't care how she acts, I can tell she isn't happy at home.  
He tossed and turned for a while but finally managed to relax and go to sleep.  
  
As Gohan went to sleep Videl was still sitting behind her desk in her huge room in the Satan mansion. She was trying to do her physics homework, but it wasn't coming along at any notable pace. For that matter she wasn't even sure it was a noticeable pace. Ah well, she thought to herself, I could always ask Gohan during lunch tomorrow, I know he did all his homework during lunch today. And he's always trying to be my friend, though I could probably be nicer to him, maybe give him a chance.  
  
Later that night, Videl was asleep, but her sleep was an uneasy one, troubled by strange dreams.  
She had finally cornered Sayaman and pulled of his helmet, except that under it he seemed to be wearing another helmet, and when she pulled that off there was yet another. And the strangest thing was that all the helmets seemed to be the same size. Finally she pulled off the last helmet, but all she could register before waking up were several locks of shining blond hair.  
Great she thought, checking her alarm clock to see it was only 04:00 she turned around, trying to get back to sleep, but part of her kept thinking about the dream. If I'd seen his face, would I have recognised it, she wondered. Why did the dream have to end with the one thing I'd already figured out, he's probably the Gold-Fighter.  
However hard Videl tried she couldn't get back to sleep that night. Finally after just laying there for several hours staring that the dark ceiling, only faintly visible in the minute beam of starlight that came in through the gap in the curtains she got up and turned on the lights. It was 7 am. She still had two hours before she had to be in school, and her dad didn't expect her down for breakfast before 8, but being up was better than just lying there.  
I wish mom were here. She thought to herself. She'd know what to do and she always liked to get up early as well.  
When she looked over at the picture on her dresser she could almost feel that her mother was still out there somewhere, maybe not in this dimension, but somewhere. A line from a song she'd once heard came into her head, I miss you, like the desserts miss the rain. It seemed to perfectly describe the way she felt about her mom right now.  
/* The song is Missing, it's by Everything But The Girl. I don't own that either. It's on my wish list along with DBZ ;).*/  
  
Purely out of frustration Videl threw herself at her physics again, actually managing to solve some of the problems, before her alarm beeped at 7:45 and she went to get a shower and get he clothes on again instead of the pyjamas she'd been wearing up till that point.  
  
Gohan got to school early that morning, and in doing so had managed to avoid another airborne chase like the one the day before.  
He was sitting in front of the school calmly eating a sandwich he'd gotten at lunch- or rather breakfast-room across the street when he saw Videl's jet-copter land. A few minutes later Videl jumped out, wearing her usual white shirt and black shorts, and pushed the button to capsulate it, returning the Capsule to her pocket.  
Oh god. Gohan thought as she walked over to him with a determined look on her face. What now, did she hang out somewhere to spy on me and see me, or am I just getting so paranoid I'm scared whenever she looks at me?  
"Uhm. * cough * Hi Videl." He said, hoping there was no hesitation in his voice. As she drew nearer.  
  
Come on Videl, she urged herself as she heard his greeting. You said you'd try to be nice to him.  
"Hey Gohan." She responded. "I was having some trouble with my physics, could you help me over lunch?"  
"Sure Videl, no prob."  
"Thanks."  
Just then the bell rang and they both ran inside, it was just the warning bell, meaning they had five minutes left to get to their class, but as that was on the top floor Videl barely managed to make it in time. To her great surprise, Gohan, the bookworm had managed to keep up with her. And unlike her he looked as though he wasn't even sweating too much.  
Seems like he's fast enough when he wants to be. She thought. There's definitely something strange about this guy.  
The morning passed at a crawl that in the end left Videl wondering where it all went. Time seemed to stand still as she listened to the teacher drone own about math, one of her better subject so she didn't really need to pay attention. And somehow while she was sure it was going slowly she found that her own thoughts were so distracting that the second teacher, geography, showed up sooner than she'd expected.  
There was a bit of a break between the two teachers in which Sharpner tried to flirt with her. She couldn't help but wonder in the back of her mind, was he trying to flirt with her, or with the daughter of Hercule, the man that saved the world.  
She knew he was friends with the real her, but as for that flirting that was definitely directed at her image, the popular, famous rich Videl who was something for him to impress people with.  
If only someone would get that out of him he would be a much nicer person, somehow he needed to be shown that name and image weren't everything, and that he should listen to his heart, not his gym-buddies.  
  
After geography lunch came. Gohan made his way down the stairs next to Videl and they ended up on the lawn behind the school in the shadow of one of the trees that grew there.  
While Videl unpacked her things, laying out what they would need for him to help her through physics, Gohan wolfed down his sandwiches, there were only ten of them, part of his moms fitting in regime, but he made the best of it. As a Saiyan, or in his case a part Saiyan, Gohan was quite capable of eating a sandwich in 3 seconds flat, so within the half minute it took her to spread out her things, he had finished his lunch.  
"Okay," he said, hoping she hadn't noticed his bit of speed eating, "what seems to be the problem then?"  
"Well, I'm stuck on question three. You see those two vectors there, well I'm not sure if I ..."  
//Hey this is a fanfic not a physics seminar, we'll cut this scene here.  
  
While Gohan and Videl were working on physics underneath a tree Sharpner and Erasa were eating on a different part of the school lawn.  
"I don't get it." Sharpner said between bites. "Why would Videl rather study with nerd-boy than hang out with us?"  
"Oh please Sharpner." Erasa said, sounding tired. "Do us both a favour and give it a rest. Please don't tell me that in the years the three of us, you, me and Videl have known each-other, you've really become this much of a jerk."  
"What do you mean?"  
"You and I are the only two friends Videl has who knew her before her dad defeated Cell, and yet, you flirt with her as if she were some trophy, just because it's cool for you to be able to tell you so called friends that you hangout with Hercule's daughter. Don't you think that she realises that, even though she's only known Gohan for a little while now, he's nice to her, but unlike you, he doesn't treat her like Hercule's daughter. He's sitting over there, helping Videl, not Hercule's daughter. That's a difference you don't see often enough."  
"Wow, Erasa, that's pretty deep coming from you."  
"Well, I'm not smart like Gohan, but I've known you and Videl a long time, besides, I should have seen this months ago, maybe even last year."  
Sharpner's whole expression dropped. How could I be such a fool? How could I betray my friend like that just to impress some guys who don't think of me as Sharpner but probably just as the blond that hangs out with Hercule's kid.  
"You're right Erasa." He said, a positively sad tone in his voice. "I've been a jerk."  
"Great, but don't tell me that. Tell Videl. I don't know what's going on with her, but she really needs her friends right now."  
Without another word being said Sharpner walked over to where Gohan and Videl were sitting.  
"So," he heard Gohan said as he approached, "you take this vector and then by ..."  
"Hey Sharpner." Videl interrupted him.  
"I'm sorry Videl." Sharpner said.  
"Sorry???"  
"Erasa just made me realise I've been to busy with my own image and with flirting with Hercule's daughter to really pay attention to Videl, I'm sorry. I haven't been a very good friend to you."  
And with that he turned around and walked back to where Erasa was sitting.  
  
"Whoa, what brought on that change in attitude?" Gohan exclaimed.  
"I'm not sure." Videl said. "I guess Erasa is smarter than we think in some ways. And I guess you helped her realise, now that I think of it, you never seem to treat me different from anyone else, I'm just Videl to you, not the daughter of the man who saved the world."  
"You might be right about that." Gohan said. After all your dad didn't save the world as you're not my daughter. He added in thought.  
"And anyway," Videl continued completely unaware of the strange look of irony on Gohan's face, "Sharpner wasn't always like that, well like he was before, he used to be quite nice. But then he started working out at one of my dad's gyms, he's always been a bit obsessive about his looks, and I guess a lot of the guys there, I don't know ... treated him different because he knew me. Some of it must have, I don't know ... rubbed of on him or something."  
"You seem to not know a lot." Gohan said with a grin. Which he was pleased to see Videl returned.  
"Well," she countered, "if you'll get on with it I'll at least know my physics."  
"Okay, so like I was saying, you take this vector and ..."  
  
After lunch the physics teacher came, and Videl found that thanks to Gohan's help she'd not only managed to finish her homework but she actually could make some sense of what was being said during class. After physics they had a free hour before history, their final class of the day and just as she was walking outside again, wanting to be in the sun on this beautiful day, her watch beeped, meaning she had a call from the police. I was beginning to think it was a slow day. She thought with a grim inward smile.  
"Yes captain." She said into her watch.  
"Videl, there's a bank-robbery going on. We need backup."  
"On my way sir."  
She sped into the open and threw down her jet-copter capsule. It appeared instantly and she climbed in, speeding to the robbery.  
  
Gohan heard the roar of her take off, immediately ran to a place where he was hidden from view and pressed the button on his watch, transforming into Sayaman.  
When he arrived at the scene of the robbery, after following Videl's copter in, she had already knocked out one of the robbers, leaving only one standing. This one robber however was armed with a semi-automatic gun, and Videl was having a hard time running left and right, and jumping to avoid the bullets.  
Gohan knew what to do, hopefully he could do this without pissing of Videl. He moved at top speed, so fast he became invisible to normal eyes, and appeared behind the robber, reaching an arm around that man he took his gun and bent it into a knot, making it useless.  
  
Videl stopped dodging when the bullets stopped. She turned to the robber to see the great Sayaman standing behind him.  
"You again. Why don't you stop meddling with me?"  
"I'm not meddling miss." That deep voice has to be faked, Videl thought. "I'm just evening that odds. I won't fight him, but it's not fair to let him have a gun, I think you're probably allergic to bullets."  
Videl smiled, in spite of herself at the corny joke.  
"Okay."  
Sayaman hovered up, keeping an eye on the scene from above as she lowered herself into a fighting stance.  
"Now you crook, let's see what you've got."  
The answer to that question soon became obvious as she jumped him and kicked, knocking him out immediately.  
  
Wow, Gohan thought, this girl is really something else. I can't believe that with only a little help to get rid of that gun she finished the job in only ten minutes.  
He was startled when Videl called his name, well Sayaman's name anyway.  
"Sayaman!"  
Uh-oh, what now?  
"Yes miss Videl."  
"Thanks."  
"At your service miss. Just helping good to triumph over evil, for I AM THE GREAT SAYAMAN." He said, accompanied by his Ginyu-force ballet routine.  
"Would you stop doing that?" Videl said. "Or I'm going to start checking dance-classes in my search for your true identity."  
"About that search ..."  
"Yes what about it?"  
"How about we call a truce?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, I was thinking, since we work together sometimes, why don't we get to know each other a little, you seem like a girl that could use a friend, someone that doesn't think about her dad, but about her."  
"That's true, but what are you proposing?"  
"That we go for a drink to celebrate our victory. And let's say, for the next half hour you won't try to find out who I am, we'll just talk."  
  
Hmm. Videl thought. Where did he get such insides into me? Still he is right, I could use a friend, even with Gohan added the list is still only three people, now that Sharpner seems to be turning around again. Besides, talking with him might give me a chance to do some spy-work during our truce, and if he starts to trust me finding out will just become easier.  
"Okay, let's go."  
Well, it's turning out to be a pretty weird life, but at least it's mine, she thought to herself with a chuckle as she went out of the bank and a cross the street with her arch-enemy and new friend.  
  
/*  
Closing notes.  
So what did you think? Please review. I know it's a long chapter, and the others probably will be too, what can I say, I just can't seem to write short things.  
As for the next chapter, my idea right now is that Gohan and Videl will become better friends, as will Videl and Sayaman. At some point Videl will try to make an appointment with both Gohan and Sayaman at the same time, as well as Erasa and Sharpner but that's besides the point, how will Gohan get out of that one?  
*/ 


	2. Son Goku Is Your Father?

/*  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ isn't mine, Gohan is, well in my dreams he is at any rate.  
  
Anything between /* and */ is just me budding in, so is anything after // up until the next hard return.  
For those of you that realised or were wondering, I'm trying to learn to program in C++ as a hobby, that's the origin of the commentary codes.  
Anything between * stars * is an action.  
  
*/  
  
/*   
  
Responses to reviews:  
  
First of all thanks for the reviews everyone.  
  
SSMysticGohan: Yes this is a Gohan/Videl romance fic, give it time. I was already up to 6000 words with chapter 1 if I had to add the romance in that chapter it would be a lot longer.  
  
Kodra: Guess you're right about the too much thinking and then saying, I'll try to watch it in part three, I'd written this chapter before I got your review.  
  
*/  
  
  
/* Just a bit of an ad here, for pteska, my sister who also has a story posted here on fanfiction.net completely different style from mine, but you might want to read it. // I could say you might not want to read it but that wouldn't be good for family relations ;).  
*/  
  
Life Is Strange  
  
Saga: Strange  
  
Chapter 2: Son Goku Is Your Father?  
  
Videl chuckled at the looks she and Sayaman received when they entered a lunchroom across the street from the bank to have a drink.  
She couldn't really blame people for being surprised, after all it wasn't every day that two famous crime-fighters walked into a lunchroom together ordering a tea and a sprite.  
"Look," she said as the took their seats with the beverages, "I know we agreed not to talk about this for the next 30 minutes, but I've got to ask one thing, are you the Gold-Fighter?"  
"Ok, just this once I'll answer you." Sayaman replied. "Yes I am the Gold-Fighter, but that was a disguise as well."  
"But why do you need a disguise?"  
"Two reasons really, one, I want people to like me because of the person I am, not because of what I can do, and two, I don't want the sort of publicity you have. I don't imagine that reporters following you all the time is any more fun than having you try to figure out who I am all the time. At least you and the reporters are only after ME when I'm Sayaman, never when I'm myself."  
"I guess I see your point but I'm still going to unmask you some day mister Sayaman, and when I do, I want to have a fight with you, just to see who is stronger."  
"Well, Videl, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. But let's talk about something else."  
  
Good, Gohan thought, we've started a conversation now all I have to do is try to keep her away from the subject of who I am, I don't mind her knowing I'm the Gold-Fighter, the blond hair will probably throw her of, but the rest is private.  
"So Videl," he said putting effort into keeping his fake deep voice, "how did you start fighting crime?"  
"I dunno, guess it just happened. I was in a group of people that was taken hostage in a bank about 4 years ago, and I just knocked out both of the crooks, since then I guess I haven't been very afraid any more so helping the police comes naturally."  
After continuing to chat with her for a while Gohan realised the thirty minutes were gone, and excused himself. After all he needed to get back to school in time.  
  
The last hour of school passed uneventfully. Gohan had managed to make it back in time and sat there with the rest of the students as their history teacher droned on about some subject he'd already heard all about while he was still being home-schooled. Then found a place outside where he could transform without being seen and flew home. He still had homework to do this evening, as he'd spent his lunch helping Videl, but all in all it had been a pretty good day. He thought to himself, as he saw the Son house appear in view. Tomorrow was Friday so he could get a couple of days of training with Goten done after that.  
He felt good about the day, Videl seemed like she needed a friend, and he'd just managed to get her two in one day. I don't know what's wrong with her, but something definitely isn't right. He thought. I guess there's something wrong at home, if that idiot father of hers has hurt her...  
To Gohan own surprise a typically Saiyan growl escaped his lips as he thought about it. Am I just being protective of my friend, he thought, or is it more than that? Who knows, but I'd better not mention it too mom, the instant she hears about something like this she'll start about grandchildren.  
  
Videl found herself in a good mood as well as she came home that night. She had liked her contact with Sayaman, rather in spite of herself, he was a bit of a dork, but seemed nice enough, and she also felt she'd made a new friend in Gohan, a cute friend at that. Stop that Videl. She thought to herself reprovingly. You know Erasa is after him, don't get in her way.  
  
While the night passed like any other at the son house, with the boys training some after dinner before Goten went to bed and Gohan started on his homework, at Videl's house something very unusual was happening, Videl and her father were talking with each other during dinner.  
At least Videl was trying to talk to her father, who for the most part seemed to be talking past her to some imaginary excited listener.  
"Dad." Said Videl, as she was busy cutting up her stake. "Is it okay if I have a party here next weekend, since you'll be away on a business trip." Sleeping with a bimbo is more like it, she added cynically in thought.  
"What did you say pumpkin." He said not really listening to her as usual.  
"I asked if I could have a party."   
"Sure honey, you can have whatever you want, I always get my baby what makes her happy."  
Great one dad, Videl thought, what TV interview are you planning to use that in, or what bimbo are you planning to use that on.  
The rest of dinner past with her dad talking about his usual subject, his own glorious past, while Videl didn't eat much for fear of vomiting as a result of having to listen to her father's stories.  
At some point she just shoved a way her plate and gave a wink to Mary, the housemaid, signalling her that she'd like some food in her room later. Mary nodded very slightly, signalling that she understood. This was a little code between the two of that that had stood the test of time.  
  
The next day Gohan arrived for school just in time, sliding down into his seat just before their first teacher of the day arrived. At lunchtime he walked outside with Videl Erasa and Sharpner. He still couldn't believe how much Sharpner seemed to have changed almost overnight. As if a whole false persona had been washed away. He still made jokes about Gohan being a nerd or a geek and things like that, but there was a different tone to them. They were friendly jokes meant to laugh with a person rather than at him.  
They stood together in the sun, eating their lunch.  
"Gee Gohan." Sharpner exclaimed as they unpacked their food. "You sure eat a lot for such a little guy."  
"I'm not that small." Gohan replied. "And I just don't seem to fill up on less."  
With that said he began to wolf down his ten sandwiches for that day, not at the sort of super pace at which he had torn through his lunch the day before, but at enough of a pace to make the other's stare in disbelief as he averaged 2 sandwiches a minute, doing nothing but eating for 5 minutes.  
"What are you guys looking at?" He asked after finishing the last sandwich, noticing the three others staring at him with their mouths open and their eyes grown to huge proportions.  
  
Videl was the first to shake herself out of the amazed stupor that had set in at watching Gohan 'eat'. Inhale his food is more like it. Videl thought to herself.  
"Sorry Gohan." She said. "It's just that we, well I certainly, have never seen anyone eat like that."  
"Oh." Said Gohan, with a somewhat confused expression, scratching the back of his head with his hand. "I was just hungry, I hadn't eaten since breakfast."  
//Does that sound too much like Goku? Ah, it runs in the family.  
"Well, all I can say is you've got one hell of an appetite." Erasa giggled as she started slowly pecking at her own sandwiches in small bites.  
Sharpner just shook his head in amazement before returning to his lunch. Videl herself also resumed eating, she set a somewhat higher pace than the other two, though she couldn't get anywhere close to Gohan's.  
When she'd finished her sandwiches, she turned to the other three to see that Sharpner and Erasa were just finishing also.  
"Okay guys, I've got an invitation for you. My dad's going on a business trip this weekend." She hoped none of them had heard the sarcasm in her voice at those words, though she despised her dad's little flings, she didn't want them to become public knowledge. "So he's allowing me to have a little party, and you're all invited."  
"Wow. Great." Exclaimed both Erasa and Sharpner.  
"Yeah sounds great Videl." Gohan said. "Is there a dress code?"  
Erasa and Sharpner about fell over at that text.  
"Not really." Videl said. "The dress code is that all guests are required to wear clothes. Though you might want to wear something comfortable, and if you'd like to train or something, bring a gi if you have one."  
"Okay, I'll have to ask my mom, but I'm sure it'll be ok."  
"You have to ask your mom if you can go to a party?" Sharpner asked, looking stunned.  
"Not so much the party," Gohan replied, "but you're forgetting I have to travel 500 miles to get here."  
"Yeah that would make a difference."  
"Okay Gohan," Videl said taken a piece of paper and jotting something down, "here's my number. Call me to tell me if you can make it."  
"No fair." Sharpner called. "You never gave me your number."  
"That's because you never needed it Sharpner."  
"Guess you're right about that."  
  
That evening during dinner Gohan brought up the party invitation. After some talk the party had, been set to begin Saturday at five, and then to continue for the rest of the evening, including dinner around six. Videl had said something about wanting to invite someone besides the three of them, so Gohan was dying to go, just to find out who this mystery guest would be.  
"Come on mom." He almost whined giving her his innocent and pleading look. "Please can I go?"  
He could see in her eyes that she was debating the issue. On the one hand she was impressed that her Gohan was being invited to a party at such an expensive place. But on the other hand her loathing for mister Satan, though that didn't extend to Videl, did extend to her son being in his house.  
"Come on." Gohan urged again. "Videl's dad won't be there and I promise I won't let anything slip. Please." Time for my final weapon thought Gohan, going from the normal innocent and pleading look to the big sad puppy-dog eyes that Goten was just beginning to master as well. Over the years Gohan had found that a promise to study combined with the puppy-dog look, could get him almost anything he wanted from his mom. "I've done my homework already mom. Please can I go."  
Chi-Chi let out a sigh and Gohan knew he'd won.  
"All right mister you can go. But on your way there you're going to drop off Goten at the Capsule Corp building in Western Capitol so he can spend the night with Trunks. Dende knows I could use a free night."  
"Okay, mom, I'd be happy to drop him off."  
Directly afterwards he called Videl.  
"Satan residence." A voice that just had to be a butler said.  
"Uhm, yes hi, uhm, my name is Gohan, I'm calling for Videl."  
"Just a moment sir, I'll see if the mistress is available."  
A few moments silence on the line and then.  
"Hey Gohan."  
"Hey Videl."  
"So can you come?"  
"Yeah, I'll be there, five sharp."  
"Good. I hope you didn't have a hard time getting to talk to me."  
"No, why would I have?"  
"Well, Jeffrey can be rather up-tight, he's my father's butler, so thank goodness he'll be accompanying my father on his business trip."  
"Why thank goodness?"  
"Well can you imagine having a party with a stiff around, I mean it's in the tone of his voice, you must have noticed."  
"I did detect some dullness yes."  
"Dull is a polite word for it, he's known by me, and some other staff-members as the curse of the walking dead. That's how boring he is."  
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow Videl.  
"Yeah, bye."  
And with that Gohan hung up the phone.  
  
A few hours later around eight in the evening Gohan was watching TV when suddenly the program was interrupted by a special news bulletin.  
"And now a live news-flash from Satan-City." The announcer said. "Just moment's ago a group of unknown criminals entered Satan-City jail by force. It is not known at this time who these men are, but some of our sources on the street tell us that they may be connected to the red-shark gang. The gang was captured leader and all just a few days ago, and it seems that their allies are trying to do something about it. And now over to Jill who is near the scene with the police department spokesman."  
"Why thank you Bob." Jill said. "I'm standing here with Tim Johnson, spokesman for the Satan-City police. Could you tell me mister Johnson, what's happening?"  
"Well, we're not sure ourselves at this time. For a moment it seemed to good to be true, criminals doing their best to get into jail, but when they opened fire on the guards we knew it wasn't as good as it seemed."  
Gohan had jumped up from his seat the instant the bulletin started and was sprinting outside fast as the police spokesman prepared to say something else. Videl would go there he was sure of it, and in a situation like this, she would certainly be able to use the help of the Great-Sayaman.  
He hit the button on his watch to transform and powered up, preparing to fly there at maximum speed.   
I'm gonna need all the help I can get in getting there. He thought as he took off, fortunately dad thought me this. "Kaioken times 30." He shouted.  
Immediately his speed and strength increased dramatically, not as much as they would have if he'd become a Super-Saiyan, but doing the latter might give things away, for now he didn't want that.  
  
As Gohan took of from the son residence 500 miles away from the scene, Videl got into her copter only three short miles away. I wonder if he's going to show up. She thought as she took off and turned towards the prison, with something this big I bet he will.  
She was right, just after she'd arrived at the scene, as she was setting down her jet-copter the now familiar, and both hated and loved shape in green and red appeared next to her.  
"Hello, miss Videl."   
Oh, please buddy I can tell that voice is fake what are you hiding.  
"Hey there Sayaman."  
"I think this job is big enough for both of us."  
"You could be right, if they've gotten to some cell-block I'm betting there'll be plenty of bad-guys to go around."  
"Well then, let's go in."  
Rather than capsulating the jet-copter she left it standing there, it was under police protection so no worries about that. She took a look at the building to get her bearings ahead of the time and then ran inside along with Sayaman who'd waited for her.  
The only cellblock the crooks had been able to open the doors on was in the low security section. A steel door that had been closed by guards before they abandoned the building was still holding back the crooks, one of whom was now busy with some sort of explosives trying to blow it.  
The inmates from the opened cell-block had clearly been meant to serve as a distraction, but they weren't very effective, Videl and Sayaman simply made their way through the lot of them, as if the whole thing was a martial arts exercise, every movement a chop or kick knocking out one of the freed crooks. One of the convicts was actually still in his cell. When Sayaman set his visor on the man Videl could see him crawl back in fear.  
"Please don't hurt me sir." The man pleaded, he looked like someone who'd just made a mistake, possibly embezzlement or fraude, not a perpetrator of violent crimes like the rest of the guys. "Please don't hurt me." He repeated. "I've almost done my time, I'll get out tomorrow."   
Videl was watching the scene unfold. There were still a few men standing, waiting nervously between them and the gang of new villains, so she had time. They weren't going to do anything, and the dangerous group, the only ones there with firearms, weren't going to shoot their own friends.  
Sayaman seemed to be in debate with himself on what to do, and finally simply shut the man's cell-door. Twisting its outside against the next bar so it couldn't be opened.  
"Go tomorrow." He said in that ridiculous deep voice. "Justice will have been served."  
He looked at Videl with a smile on his face and she suddenly realised what made them so a like, he didn't like fighting out side of training, what he liked was serving justice, the same way she did.  
"Let's go get them." Was all he said.  
They ran forward again, side by side, she struck one crook with her right hand, and then kicked another while he dealt with two more in similar fashion. That dispensed of the last freed crooks, all that was left of them was a corridor filled with moaning, semi-conscious criminals.  
Now however Videl found herself faced with one of the few things she wouldn't be able to defend herself against, two machine-guns were pointing at them. The two of the crooks were holding them while the two others had their pistols ready but were still focused on the door.  
Sayaman bent to the side, whispering in her ear: "You take the one on the left I'll get the one on the right, then we'll go together against the two by the door, move the instant I disarm them."  
He phased as she called it for herself disappearing and then reappearing between the two machineguns, hands out at his sides bending both guns in one simple gesture.  
She immediately sprang forward, kicking the guy on the left in the face, as Sayaman delivered a chop to the man on the right, and then yanked the pistols away from the two remaining crooks before the could even turn. Videl again launched into one with a kick, and Sayaman too opted to kick his, a huge man that as Videl saw on closer inspection looked like he could be a brother of the red-shark-gang's leader.  
"Well." Videl said as she looked down to see some blood flowing from the face of her victim. "That was fun, we should do that more often."  
  
This girl sure has a weird notion of fun. Gohan thought. Better watch myself at the party tomorrow.  
"Yes miss. And now I shall leave you." He said in his deep Sayaman voice.  
"Hey, wait a sec." Videl called after him. Gohan cringed in spite of himself.  
"What is it miss?"  
"I'm having a party tomorrow, around five, you're invited, I'm sure you can find the mansion."  
"Okay, miss, I'll be there."  
God Gohan what have you gotten yourself into now. He thought to himself as he walked out of the building throwing the still knocked out crooks into cells along the way. How on earth are you going to be at Videl's party twice at the same time?  
He didn't head straight for the 439 mountain area. But instead headed for Piccolo's old place.  
The dessert where he'd trained when he was young. There was still a ditch there that once was a mountain, the first time he'd ever blown up a sizable object.  
Several other large scars on the landscape, the result of his first Oozaru transformation. Just a little distance away it looked like a war-zone, which in a way it was, it was where he together with Piccolo and the other Z fighters had waited for Goku when Vegeta and Nappa had arrived.  
It was still one of his most painful memories, not being able to move for fear, seeing Piccolo die to save him. But a lot had been compensated when Piccolo returned.  
That was the problem with the other loss that hurt him worst, his dad dieing in the fight with Cell. It had been Gohan's fault, if he'd just finished it at once his dad wouldn't have had to stop Cell from blowing up the world.  
But even there one thing did make it less of a problem, they'd been in a position where they could go to get Goku back, and he'd said no for himself.  
  
The area as always had a calming effect on Gohan, even though it was laden with memories he didn't feel them. He felt at home here in a strange way, like in the 439 area, except there was no Chi-Chi to yell at him here.  
He sighed. "Now this is a new problem." He said talking to himself. "I've heard of people wanting to be in two places at the same time, but I must be the first person who wants to be in the same place twice at the same time."  
Now. He continued in silent thought. If I were Piccolo that wouldn't be a problem, I could just do a split-form. But the split-form relies in part on Namek physiology and it's regenerative abilities, so I can't do that. Tien's multiform technique I might be able to do. I've never tried before but I've seen it done, by Krillin, Tien and Cell.  
But the multiform won't work here either. All the bodies still share a single consciousness. So they'll all answer to a question that's directed at just one of them. I'd have to run out of the room every time my other half got asked a question.  
The only hope I have is trying to combine the two techniques. Doing a multiform, but splitting my thoughts. Let's try this.  
He brought his hands up in the multi-form gesture.  
"Multi-form"  
Soon there were two of him standing there. The technique wanted to go on to three, but Gohan stopped it in time.  
"Good." Both Gohan's said as the thought came to both at the same time.  
Both sat in the air meditating not unlike Piccolo, at the same time they looked at each other and said: "Split thoughts."  
Suddenly both of their minds became clear. They were just a single mind in a single body now, but each could sense that he was telepathically linked to the other.  
"Nice technique kid." Came a voice from behind them.  
Both turned to see Piccolo.  
"But there's one problem with it." The green guy continued. "I don't think it'll last much beyond an hour."  
"That should be enough." One Gohan said thoughtfully.  
"Yeah." The other said. "The Sayaman half will leave after about an hour and then Gohan will go to the bathroom or something so we can reintegrate."  
"What are you talking about?" Piccolo asked.  
"Well you see..." Both Gohans began at the same time, stopping when they heard each other.   
"Please reintegrate before we start a conversation." Piccolo said.  
"Okay," both said, "reintegrate." Immediately the two of them moved together and over each other to leave only one standing there.  
"Good." Said Piccolo. "Now you were saying."  
"Well Piccolo, it's like this ..." Gohan said, explaining all about the party.  
  
It was four o'clock in the afternoon the next day and Gohan was flying around looking for Goten. He concentrated on his little brother's Ki and soon found him and the Nimbus at Toto's nest. It looked like Goten was just getting a good licking from Choby, and even though they were dinosaurs Gohan could have sworn that Toto and his wife were smiling the same way he was at the sight.  
"Come on, squirt." He yelled at his happy little brother. "We have to get your bags and leave or you're gonna be late for you sleep-over at Capsule Corp."  
"Okay." Goten yelled, giving Choby a good-bye hug and hopping on the Nimbus. "Let's go."  
The boys had soon raced home and then took off again. Heading slightly more to the south than Gohan usually would so they would pass Satan City, to go to the Western Capitol and CC headquarters before Gohan would swing back to go to Videl's party.  
The trip to CC headquarters took 45 minutes, as they were limited to the speed of the Nimbus. When they arrived Trunks was outside waving and Goten immediately hopped down to join his best friend and partner in crime, well mischief anyway.  
"Hey Trunks." Gohan said as he landed, he knew he'd need less than five minutes to get to Videl's mansion so he still had some time. "Where are your parents?"  
"I'm here." Vegeta's familiar growl came from behind him, and Gohan noticed that the Saiyan prince who had just come around the turn of the house into his view appeared to be mowing the lawn with Ki blasts. "The woman is out shopping, and she's making me mow the lawn and baby sit the two brats for a while."  
"Still better than sleeping on the couch eh, Vegeta." Gohan said with a grin.  
"Watch your mouth spawn of Kakarot. The only reason I agreed is because it's better than going shopping with her. I believe there is a children's book about shopping with her. It's called The Never Ending Story."   
//Suggestion by my sister, The Never Ending Store. Thought I should give you both options here.  
Gohan could barely contain his laughter was Vegeta actually making a joke, the hard as stone cold as ice prince of Saiyans was kidding?  
  
About ten minutes after that incident, still shocked at Vegeta's joke, Gohan landed in a small park in the neighbourhood where Videl lived. He quickly split and then Gohan made sure that he was invisible while transforming out of his costume while Sayaman took to the sky again and headed for the party.  
  
Two minutes later they met up again. Sayaman was standing out side the front door of the Satan mansion while Gohan came walking up the garden path, to meet him, as they both waited.  
A few seconds after Gohan's arrival the door was opened by Videl herself.  
"Hey guys, come on in." She said with a smile. "I'm glad you could make it."  
"Thanks," Sayaman said, "But I'm afraid I won't be able to stay long. Just about an hour or so."  
"Ah well. At least Gohan here will be staying the entire evening, do you two know each other by the way?"  
"Yeah," Gohan said, "we've met."  
"When?" Asked Videl.  
"I'm afraid that will have to remain a secret." Sayaman cut in. "Gohan gave me his word he wouldn't tell anyone and I expect him to keep it."  
Videl looked puzzled for a while but then she showed them into the house.  
  
Hmm. Videl thought as she guided her two newly arrived guests upstairs to the rec-room, so called because it was for recreational activities. Could this have something to do with what Gohan seems to be hiding, it almost seems as if he knows Sayaman better than I do, yet I've never seen Sayaman really talk to anyone, except for the time we had a drink together.  
"Here we are." She said as she pushed open the door to the rec-room, letting them enter. "The rec-room. Let me make some introductions, Sharpner, Erasa this is Sayaman, Sayaman this is Sharpner and Erasa."  
"Wow." Sharpner exclaimed. "So this is your mystery guest."  
"Yeah." Videl replied. "He can't stay long though, only about an hour."  
Soon they were all chatting nicely but no matter how Videl and the other's tried, they couldn't seem to get anything out of Sayaman. He just didn't seem to have a weakness in his verbal defence to all their off-hand sounding questions.   
  
What they of course didn't realise was that Gohan though he did ask some questions himself, warned Sayaman telepathically if things looked like they might be getting out of hand. Erasa tried first but her question: "So what does you dad do?" Was easy to spot.  
Videl had a rather more sly approach starting a series of question about how a technique that he used worked. Never straying into the unusual techniques like the super-speed or the bending of guns, but a special style of chop, or something like that. Then she'd continue on the details and finally she'd try to get him to tell her where he'd learned it.  
Sharpner wasn't very good at this game, just like Erasa, his attempt at an inconspicuous question sounded like a pick-up line: "So where are you from originally?"  
With the cross-examination the time passed quickly and after 55 minutes Sayaman announced that he had to leave.  
After they all said good-bye to him, even Gohan who felt a bit silly doing it, but had to as the others would think it strange otherwise. He left flying off, only to, enter the open backdoor at super-speed and run to the bathroom so quickly he was invisible, just like he and Gohan had planned it telepathically.  
Gohan excused himself a while later, saying he wanted to wash his hands before dinner.  
The plan went perfectly, in the bathroom Sayaman had already changed back into Gohan, just to be sure there would be no strange clothing effects from the reintegration, and they integrated in just a few second. Gohan actually did wash his hands. And then joined the others downstairs in the dining room for Pizza.  
  
After dinner Gohan discovered that Videl had a new plan. She hadn't managed to get anything out of Sayaman, but it seemed as if Sayaman knew Gohan. So maybe she could get something out of him.  
"Say Gohan, how did you get to know Sayaman?"  
"He told you, that's a secret."  
"Come on, at least tell me one thing, do you know who he is under that helmet?"  
"I've never discovered." Gohan answered. Happy that he didn't have to lie, he had never discovered Sayaman's identity, he'd known all along.  
"There is more to you than meets the eye, Son Gohan." Videl said.  
All of a sudden Sharpner interjected.  
"Your family name is Son?"  
Gohan simply nodded.  
"You wouldn't happen to be related to Son Goku, the winner of the 23rd world martial arts tournament."  
"He's my dad." Gohan simply stated as the three others look at him in silent amazement. Finally the silence was broken as Videl let out a scream.  
"THE SON GOKU IS YOUR FATHER!?"  
  
/*   
  
Closing notes.  
Well they like each other, they just don't know it yet. And what will Videl think about Gohan now that she know who his father is. Will she find out the true identity of Sayaman, find out, next time on Life Is Strange.  
  
These first two chapters have come out at an incredible pace, but I don't think I'll keep that up. It'll probably take a couple of days at least before I have another chapter. I have an idea for the opening scene for the next chapter but I'm not to sure after that, except that Videl will discover that Gohan is the Great-Sayaman, and I've also decided already how she will discover. But the rest is pretty open right now. Maybe Bulma and Vegeta, along with Trunks, will make more appearances, maybe just Trunks and Goten, causing mayhem. I'll have to think about it. Suggestions are welcome but may be ignored if they don't fit in the story.  
  
*/ 


	3. Quite A Surprise

/*  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ isn't mine, Gohan is, well in my dreams he is at any rate.  
  
Anything between /* and */ is just me budding in, so is anything after // up until the next hard return.  
For those of you that realised or were wondering, I'm trying to learn to program in C++ as a hobby, that's the origin of the commentary codes.  
Anything between * stars * is an action.  
  
*/  
  
/*   
  
Responses to reviews:  
Lady Queen: You bet she's going to wonder, but that will be chapter 4 or 5, damn this story is turning out to be long.  
  
Everyone: Here is the next chapter you asked for. Thanks I love you all.  
  
*/  
  
Life Is Strange  
  
Saga: Strange  
  
Chapter 3: Quite A Surprise.  
  
"THE SON GOKU IS YOUR FATHER!?" The words seemed to echo through the room and the house after Videl had yelled it.  
Gohan simply nodded again as Videl Sharpner and Erasa stared at him, their mouths open and their eyes wide.  
Finally Videl managed to shake herself out of it.  
"Why didn't you tell us about this before?" She asked Gohan who looked stunned at their reaction.  
"It never came up." He simply stated. "I didn't think it was this big off a deal."  
Great, leave it to mister innocent country boy to not see the importance of this. Videl thought.  
"Of course it's a big deal." Sharpner exclaimed. "Your dad is the most famous martial artist ever after Videl's."  
"Hey." Erasa said. "I have an idea, what if you have a spar with Videl, I'm sure your dad must have tought you a few techniques."  
  
Great, Gohan thought, leave it to the blond to put me in a pickle. The one time she has a good idea in days and it just happens to be the worst time for me.  
// I have nothing against blonds, but you have to admit that Erasa is a dumb-blond joke come to life.  
"Uhm, sure why not." He replied, his mind still racing.  
What should I do, just pretend I'm no match for Videl, fight her for a while and then let her win? Should I actually just beat her? No, I should go for a draw, that way she'll know I can handle myself if I have to come to her aid without being able to transform into Sayaman.  
"Ok." He said out loud. "Where do we face eachother?"  
"Hmm." Videl said. "You pick, we can fight inside or out. We have to world tournament regulations sized rings, one in a training room, and one it the back yard."  
"Ok," Gohan said after a moment's consideration, "let's take it outside."  
  
Behind the house the ring was the most dominant feature in the the garden, the large pool next to it coming in second. Several changing rooms stood between the ring and the pool, clearly meant to be used to change for either fighting or swimming depending on the users intent.  
Gohan immediately walked over to one, throwing down the capsule with his bag as he approached. He took his Gi out and then entered the changing room.  
Videl had chosen another room, and when Gohan entered his he saw there were closets with Gi's and swim-suits in the changing-rooms. He quickly changed and stepped outside again, wearing the typical orange/brown Son Gi. Originally this was based on the Gi's master Roshi had given to Goku and Krillin before the 22nd world tournament. And the only real change since then, other than the size, had been that the turtle symbol had been removed. At first it had been replaced by King-Kai's symbol on the back, but over time the number of symbols had gotten to large to really be easy to put on, so they had dispensed with that practice.  
As usual the orange was thrown on over a blue short-sleeve undersuit. And Gohan noticed that both Sharpner and Erasa seemed surprised by the muscles of his arms. They weren't as bulky as Sharpner's but clearly present, and thanks to Gohan's concentrated Saiyan cell-structure, probably at least ten times more powerful even when he didn't use his Ki.  
Waiting for Videl to finish changing Gohan jumped into the ring and started stretching a little.  
  
Videl came out of her changing-room to see Gohan stretching. Hmm, she thought as she noticed his now bear arms, he's got a bit more muscle than he's been letting on.  
"Unusual Gi." She remarked as she stepped into the ring and began stretching also.  
"It's based on the type my father always used. I suppose it's become the family standard." Gohan simply replied.  
Videl's eyes nearly bugged out as Gohan continued stretching and in the process did a full split. While she knew that she herself was more than flexible enough to copy this move, this was the first time she'd met a guy who was capable of doing it. She doubted if even her father could, but then there was more to martial arts then simply being flexible.  
"Okay." She said, as she finished stretching by doing a split herself. "What time limit shall we set?"  
"How about an hour?" Gohan called back.  
Hmm. Videl thought. That's twice the limit for the world tournament, this might be more challenging than I thought, I'll have to pace myself.  
"Okay." She replied. "If you think you can keep up for that long, it's your own risk, but I intend to have you out of the ring long before that."  
"We'll see what happens." Gohan replied with a smile.  
Hmm. Videl thought. That smile tells me he's confident, either he's cocky, or he knows he's good.  
  
Gohan sighed to relax himself as he lowered himself into his stance. He powered up his Ki to give of heat inside of him, but do nothing else. At least this way he would look like he was breaking a sweat.  
"Unusual stance." Videl remarked.  
"Yeah," he said, thankful that he never fought this way as Sayaman, "it's a combination of different styles."  
"Okay." Videl said. "We start in thirty seconds. Sharpner you give us a count-down and keep the time."  
"Okay." Sharpner called from out side the ring.  
A while later he called again: "Fifteen..."  
Both Videl and Gohan bowed to their openent, waiting for the countdown.  
"Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Fight!"  
Videl and Gohan rushed at eachother from oposit sides of the ring. Gohan had to really work on restraining his power, even with his Ki only in use to heat himself his muscle power was far greater than Videl's. He blocked a few punches and a kick, and then grabbed the blocked leg, using it's momentum to throw her.  
She landed on her feet, and launched into him again. Though she really didn't have a chance he faked it, letter her get a hold and throw him after blocking a few puches and dodging a kick.  
He too landed on his feet and the fight went on. Videl would attack, with him blocking, and then he would counter. Videl couldn't get the upperhand no matter how hard she tried and he wouldn't take it. He wanted her to find an equal in him, she didn't need someone to beat her, upsetting her whole view of the world where her father claimed to be the strongest man alive.  
This girl is good, Gohan thought as he dodged another kick, she isn't aware of it, but she's already using her Ki naturally to reinforce some of her moves. With a little training she could be very strong, maybe even stronger than Krillin in time.   
It was his turn to go on the offensive again so he dropped to the ground, supporting his weight with one hand, and extended a leg, trying to kick hers out from under her. She jumped his kick and for a moment he had to fight to resist the temptation of using his Saiyan reflexes to bring up his leg furter and hit her with it.   
I suppose the real battle here is the one inside me to prevent me from hurting her. He thought as he jumped up to meet her next series of attacks. He blocked them easily, in fact thanks to his saiyan senses he could have blocked them with his eyes closed.   
"Thirty minutes." Sharpner yelled from the side of the arena, where he and Erasa stood watching openmouthed at how well the book-worm Son Gohan was handling himself.  
"Gone or to go." Gohan yelled with a smile, completely aware that this was the half way mark and both answers were therefore correct.  
"Both." Videl replied before Sharpner could open his mouth. "Now stop kidding and fight."  
  
He definitely is good and he knows it. Videl thought as she entered the second half of what was turning out to be the most awesome spar of her life. Sometimes he almost seems like he's just toying with me, but that's not like him, the guy takes life way to seriously for that. I guess we're just evenly matched.  
The pattern continued, dodge and counter, advance and retreat, zig-zag and swerve. She was pretty sure that they'd used every square foot of the ring in the complex movements of their battle.   
"Fifteen minutes." Sharpner called after the battle had raged some more.  
Hmm. Videl thought. I've got a little extra Engergy left, time to see if he can keep up with me if I take it up a notch.  
She attacked with all the speed she could muster, her movements a furious sequence of kicks and punches, as she approached him, but it seemed that Gohan too had a little steam left as she still couldn't make a solid hit. After her furious attack, she had to put up an incredible defence as he countered, his punches and kicks coming at least as fast and hard hers had. She could barely dodge, and counter herself, as the final minutes of their fight started.  
"Five minutes." Sharpner called from the edge of the ring.  
Videl finished her counter and dodged Gohan's. Then she looked over to the side of the ring to see that Sharpner and Erasa appeared to be just as amazed at the way Gohan was performing as she was. Sharpner wasn't so mesmerised yet that he'd stopped looking at his watch every once in a while, but Erasa's mouth was open so wide she was in danger of her bottom jaw hitting the ring floor.  
Videl summoned her last strength and put it into an attack on Gohan, trying to land a hit on him. He dodged her yet again, and made a small counter attack just as Sharpner was starting the count down.  
"Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Stop."  
They both returned to their stance almost instantly, and bowed to eachother. Still in silence they both stretched again, and then returned to the changing-rooms.  
  
Gohan again was quicker to change than Videl. He used a towel to dry of his sweat, a result from his own well placed Ki-trick, and then changed back into his normal clothes.  
When he returned to the outside he put his Gi back into the bag, he'd left it outside as it needed some more space than it took up for the capsulation and decapsulation procedures.  
He'd just returned the capsule to his pocket when Videl came out as well. She too was once again dressed in her normal clothes, the ever faithful t-shirt and shorts.  
"I am impressed." She said as she walked up to him.  
"Yeah," Sharpner said, "that has to be the most awesome fight I've ever seen."  
"Yeah." Erasa seconded. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?"  
"My dad trained me, as well as some others. And I guess it just runs in my blood considering my dad's background. My mom's background too actually, they got married at the 23rd world tournament after fighting each other in the quarter finals."  
An akward silence fell. The other's looked stunned by this latest piece of information and Gohan was lost in thought, concentrating on what he could and couldn't tell them if they continued this line of questioning but finally Videl spoke up.  
"Let's get back inside." She said. "After all this is a party, so let's..."  
  
Back in the rec-room Videl turned on some music. I really don't feel like dancing. She thought. But that doesn't mean we can't have some music. Gohan too appeared not to feel like dancing as he sat on the couch, but Sharpner quickly pulled Erasa to the open area in the room, and took her in his arms, leading her to the tune of the music.  
Videl sat next to Gohan, both of them looking at Sharpner and Erasa. The music had changed to a slow song, and Videl noticed the way Sharpner pulled Erasa against him. And the way Erasa seemed to be snuggling up to him, almost like they were cuddling while moving.  
Hmm. She thought. Maybe I won't have to worry about Erasa as far as Gohan is concerned after all.  
He is handsome, she thought, glancing at him quickly. Come on girl, get a grip on yourself, the last thing you need right now is to complicate things for yourself, it's not as if you have friends to spare and the freedom to risk loosing one by falling in love with him.  
  
Gohan thought he felt Videl looking at him, but when he turned, her eyes were still, directed to where Sharpner and Erasa were dancing.  
Come on Gohan, he thought, you're starting to imagine things. Just care for her as a friend, she won't return your feelings if you go beyond that, if you feel more push it back, she doesn't need that from you.  
Slowly he got up and walked to the window, looking out he could see a telephoto lens, that seemed to have been pushed between two bast of the fence, just above some bushes. He quickly did a variety on the laser-eyes technique Piccolo had taught him the hard way.  
//As I recall he got hit with them while training with Piccolo, this variety isn't the same thing Piccolo does at the world tournament.  
Nothing happened except that he was now sure the film inside the camera was ruined.  
No spying on my friend if I can help it. He thought at the reporter that was without a doubt behind the camera.  
"Hey Videl." He said softly. "Come look over here."  
With a curious expression on her face Videl approached the window. Gohan pointed to the camera.  
"It seems you have an uninvited visitor." He stated.  
"Great, how nice. Another member of the gutter squad." Videl said, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "I just hope he didn't get a picture of us standing her together, or there'll be an article tomorrow entitled: 'Daughter of Hercule has new boyfried' which would certainly cause my dad to flip."  
  
Cause him to flip is putting it mildly, Videl thought to herself. She turned to look at Gohan who to her surprise had a somewhat angered look on his face.  
"What's wrong Gohan?" She asked.  
"Nothing, but even if he does flip, your father 'd better not hurt you."  
What's this about? Does he care about me that much or is he just worried about a friend? Videl wondered as she saw the anger on his face.   
"He wouldn't hurt me." She said softly. "For one thing it would wreck his public image if it got out. Besides even if he did, you wouldn't be any match for him, he's the world champion."  
  
You'd be surprised at just how much of a match I'd be for him Gohan thought.  
"Is it that bad?" He said out loud. "Is life in the public eye so bad that the only thing he'd think of would be his image?"  
Please tell me it isn't, he thought, I don't want you to be hurt like that.  
"Sometimes I think so." Videl said. Sounding more hurt than Gohan had ever heard her before. "Somewhere deep down maybe he still cares about me, but since my mom died, he's never been the man he used to be."  
"I'm sorry." Gohan said.  
"It's ok, there's nothing you could have done about it anyway, nobody could have stopped him from gaining so much fame after Cell died. I guess that could go to anyones head."  
I could have. Gohan thought. Maybe I should have told the truth after the Cell-games, but who would have believed an eleven year old. Besides I had my own problems, I didn't notice what had happened 'til it was to late.  
"Still I'm sorry." He said. "I don't like having to hear the pain in my friends voice. But let's try to have fun tonight. After all this is a party."  
Great going Gohan. He thought sarcastically. You're laying it on so thick a romantic poet would be jealous. Besides Videl would have to be even more of an idiot than that father of hers not to start thinking your after her, wouldn't she?  
  
God I'm glad he said that. Videl thought. We really need to prevent me slipping into a bad mood.   
"Yeah. Wanna play some pool?"  
"Sure." Gohan replied. "But I have to warn you, I'm good at math and physics."  
"Yeah, I know, Newton's third law: 'For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction'."  
"Yes, and that's the whole principle behind pool." Gohan said.  
  
  
"I know." Videl replied. "But that's a level of physics I can still handle."  
Gohan won the first game, but after that they were joined by Sharpner and Erasa playing in two teams of two taking turns.   
Gohan was paired with Erasa who was definitely the least talented of the four as far as pool was concerned and so that evened the balance, with both teams winning and losing their fair share of games.  
  
Finally around ten Gohan announced that it had been his last game, and he was heading home. The others were somewhat sorry to see him go, but understood that he had a long journey before he got home, though it would take him far less time than they guessed. Videl was still on Gohan's mind as he flew home, and remained in his thoughts even after he arrived.  
When he came home Gohan said good-night to Chi-Chi before brushing his teeth and sneaking quietly into the room he shared with Goten not wanting to wake his baby brother. Still keeping quiet he changed into his pyjamas and slipped into bed, once there sleep soon came over him as did a very strange dream.  
In his dream Gohan was in his Sayaman costume, he was fighting some crooks alongside Videl. He didn't know where they were or why they were fighting these crooks but is wasn't important to him.  
Soon the job was done and the police came and took away the bad-guys.  
"Thank you Sayaman." Videl whispered softly, yet with passion as she approached him. Her soft hand cupped the side of his face inside his helmet as she drew nearer to him, then softly her lips brushed against his, she pulled away from the kiss almost instantly and whispered: "You were great Gohan."  
  
"Gohan!!!!" It wasn't being whispered this time it was being yelled. And the voice wasn't Videl's it was his mother's.  
Gohan blushed slightly remembering his dream as he got out of bed to get dressed. He looked over to Goten's bed, seeing that it hadn't been slept on and realising suddenly that his silence on the previous night had not been needed his little brother was spending the night with Trunks at Capsule Corporation.  
//I bet you were thinking I'd made a mistake weren't you.  
How could that slip my mind? Gohan wondered. Was Videl really in my thoughts that intensely?  
He blushed again at the thought of his dream. Was he really starting to feel that much more for Videl. What should he do about it. Could his Saiyan side get in the way in some way, and who could he go to for advice. His mom would just get obsessed with the thought of grand-children, the instant he mentioned romance, and like many people he didn't feel that his mom and sex combined. He knew she'd had it with his dad, at least twice and probably more often, but the thought was just uncomfortable for him.  
Besides, his dad might have been Saiyan, but he'd had no knowledge of his heritage due to the now famous fall as a child where he'd hit his head. An unfortunate side effect of that fortunate fall that might indeed had saved humanity itself from extinction. Though perhaps someone like master Roshi might have been able to stop his dad if he'd tried to carry out his orders to destroy al life-forms. However Gohan was pleased with the way things had turned out, as in any other scenario he wouldn't have been born.  
The only person on the planet who did know about Saiyan ways, instincts and culture was Vegeta.  
"But is he really the only person." Gohan thought out loud. Somehow he didn't think Bulma would have married Vegeta if she hadn't known at least a reasonable amount about what that meant before hand.  
Maybe I should have a little chat with Bulma. He thought to himself. After all I'll have to go there to pick up Goten anyway.  
  
Gohan left shortly after breakfast. The deal was that Goten would have lunch at Capsule Corporation, and Gohan had decided to invite himself over as well, knowing that Bulma wouldn't mind. She could use the extra help in the kitchen. He hadn't been much of a cook for most of his life. But when Chi-Chi heard about the incident in the hyperbolic-time-chamber, where he'd not only charred a roast, but had also set his dad's hair on fire accidentaly she'd undertaken to teach him to be at least capable of handling himself in the kitchen without people getting hurt. Vegeta, who usualy wasn't to friendly to anyone that visited, especially not Gohan, but when someone offered to help his wife cook, he suddenly became a lot more pleasant. It was one of Vegeta's greatest dissapointments in life that after her parents had moved to the guest house, Bulma had refused to hire a cook. Bulma's mother had been an excellent cook, but unfortunately she hadn't passed that talent on to her daughter.  
Gohan could remember the first time he'd tasted Bulma's cooking on Namek, shortly after he and Krillin had rescued Dende. Krillin had immediately remarked that the food wasn't too good, which had led to Bulma scaring the hell out of him.  
Though Bulma would never admit it, Krillin had had a valid point. As talented as Bulma might be with anything technical she was just not good at cooking. And as the way to a Saiyan's heart, or any part of his body for that matter, was through his stomach, and his tastebuds, Gohan wouldn't be surprised if Vegeta would hug him in joy to welcome him.  
  
Soon the big yellow dome of CC headquarters appeared in view and Gohan landed in the back yard. He barely had time to transform out of his Sayaman costume before being ambushed by two rampaging pint-sized demi-Saiyans.  
From a Saiyan's point of view ambush was a rather strong term, for the friendly little attack, that was obviously just a break from the two kids sparring with each other. Gohan defended himself against their punches and kicks in a good natured sort of way, hitting back slightly, but not quite as hard as they were hitting.  
"Now stop it guys." Gohan said when thought it had lasted long enough. "Or I won't be able to help Bulma cook later on."  
The two younger Saiyans stopped their attack within a fraction of a second. Both of them still in mid-punch. Gohan chuckled a little. If you want anything from a Saiyan always aim for the food. He thought as he patted their heads on his way in.  
  
The backdoor of the CC building led directly into the kitchen, and was therefore used as the family entrance. Bulma was still busy in the kitchen, putting the breakfast dishes into the dishwasher when Gohan walked in.  
"Hi, Bulma." He called brightly.  
"Hey Gohan." She responded turning around. "Aren't you a little early?"  
"Well, I wanted to talk to you, or possibly Vegeta depending on how much you can help me."  
"You have something you want to talk to Vegeta about? I can't say that doesn't intrigue me."  
"Well, I'd rather talk to you, but it has to do with my Saiyan side, so unless Vegeta has told you what I want to know I'll have to go directly to the scource."  
"You're making me curious Gohan." Bulma said in a teasing, but indeed very curious voice. "What's this all about?"  
"Can we go somewhere more private to talk?"  
"Sure. We'll go to my lab, his royal-highness knows better than to come in there without knocking."  
I wonder what the penalty is, Gohan thought as they made their way to Bulma's private domain, the couch or shopping?  
Bulma's lab was quite comfortable, not surprising considering the fact that she spent more time here than in any other room of the house.  
There was even something that was more or less like a sitting area, with two couches, a comfortable chair and even a TV in one corner of the room. Bulma lead Gohan over there and set him down on one of the couches while she herself took the chair.  
"Okay Gohan." She said. "Now tell me, what's this all about."  
"Okay." He replied. "But first I want you to promise me you won't tell anyone. Not even my mother."  
"No problem kid, now what is it?"  
"Well, there's this girl at school, and I think I might be getting feelings for her as more than a friend." He said, slowly considering each word as he went.  
"Yes," Bulma nodded, "so what's the problem?"  
"The problem." Gohan said. "Is that I don't know how the Saiyan side of me will react to all of this. All I do know about Saiyans is that we do virtually everything by instinct, and it might be nice to know what I'm going to be up against, if I'm going to have to surpress those instincts."  
"I see. Well, I can certainly help you, what I don't know from when Vegeta and I first got together, I know now, because I insisted that Vegeta explain it to me when I found out I was pregnant, I didn't want Trunks to have to fly blind if his father died."  
"Well, my father did die, but from what I know even he didn't know the subject matter as well as you probably do now."  
"You might be right about that." Bulma said. "Now the first thing I shoud warn you about is what you might call the Saiyan equivalent of puberty."  
"But I've had puberty already haven't I?" Gohan asked confused.  
"Not this type." Bulma said. "Believe me I'd have heard about it."  
"Is it that bad?" Gohan felt as though he were inches away from spiraling to his death.  
"Well bad... bad isn't exactly the word I'd choose, just intense. You see this part of the Saiyan maturing process can be triggered in one of two ways, first by aging, from what Vegeta tells me that trigger sets in at about 23 or 24 depending on the person, or by love, though in a Saiyan's case passion might be a more appropriate term. Now what you must remember with all of this is that we can't be sure about the way it's going to happen to you, you'll be the first demi-Saiyan to go through any of this. From what Vegeta tells me you'll be the first demi-Saiyan, not just on Earth, but since the beginning of the Saiyan's recorded history. Quite simply because it was considered beneath a Saiyan to mate outside of his or her species, and if it happened both the offending Saiyan and any half-breed offspring were killed."  
"What a comforting thought." Gohan stated with irony in his voice.  
"Don't worry about it too much right now." Bulma replied. "Saiyan history isn't the important part of this discussion, it's merely a sideline to illustrate some points. Now the hormone changes that occur as a result of love have some pretty severe effects on a Saiyan. From what Vegeta tells me you can expect your powerlevel to become at least 150% and possibly even 200% of what it usually is. With you already being a level 2 Super-Saiyan that should be interesting at the very least."  
Interesting isn't the word I'd choose, Gohan thought, more like potentially world-wrecking.  
"But you'll probably need to use the same control you normally need as a Super-Saiyan in your normal form.   
Now let's see, what were the other effects. Oh yes, while your Ki will be stronger, you will have some extra weaknesses as well. One of them is the fact that your ability to concentrate will be less, which isn't very surprising with your hormonal systems running wild. Another will be that because of this lack of concetration, your Ki will at times serve to weaken your own body. I'm not quite sure how this works, but you may be more vulnerable."  
Gohan's face turned into a look of pure terror at this, not only would he have to keep himself under control, but due to loss of concentration it would be damn near impossible and he would be more vulnerable than usual.  
Bulma however continued with her explanation: "Now the biggest problem, at this stage and for that matter any other stage will be aggression, whatever happens to a Saiyan that has to do with love, it'll always make him more aggressive. There are usually some other behavioural changes as well, though Vegeta couldn't tell me exactly what they were.  
I guess that about covers Saiyan puberty. Which brings us to the next point, mating."  
"* cough * Mating!" Gohan's eyes bugged out at the word.  
"Well, not just mating, it's the Saiyan term to use for everything and anything to do with physical intimacy. The most basic advice I can give you right now, is to be very careful. Mating instinct is awakened in Saiyan puberty, but it isn't driven by the same hormonal changes to do with love, but more by lust or passion." Bulma then went on to explain all about Saiyan mating instinct as Vegeta had told her.  
  
Gohan and Bulma talked through most of the morning, and then made lunch together. Vegeta, though he would of course never admit it, did indeed seem glad to see Gohan. Cooking lunch for the four hungry Saiyans, because when it came to appetite demi-Saiyans definitely counted as full Saiyans, was no small project but with Gohan's help and Bulma's skills, that as Gohan had to admit had grown greatly since the first time she'd cooked for him, it was accomplished and all five of them sat down to eat. All four Saiyans eating more than three servings in the time it took Bulma to get the first few bites into her mouth, and none of them stopping until Bulma's plate was empty and they'd each had at least two dozen portions.  
After they'd helped Bulma put the dishes into the dishwasher, Gohan and Goten left, Gohan changing into his Sayaman costume and Gohan hopping onto the flying Nimbus. The two of them heading for an afternoon of sparring in the woods around the Son house.  
  
Videl meanwhile was having such an uneventful Sunday that she was beginning to think boring was to polite a word to use. She flipped past all 500 channels on the satelite TV system, and still wasn't able to find a single news-cast that didn't include at least one stupid, pointless item about her dad, that really wasn't news at all but seemed to be part of a world wide let's annoy Videl effort.  
In the afternoon she had a bit of a workout in one of the training rooms, venting some of her anger on a punching bag, before going back to her room, to think.  
Am I really falling for Gohan? She asked herself. And if so should I do something about it?  
She was restless the entire afternoon, and even in the evening when her dad came home, she found that his annoying her wasn't enough to take her mind of the feelings that seemed to be developing inside her.  
  
Videl slept uneasily that night, often she found herself halfway between sleeping and waking in a weird area of conciousness where she existed halfway between dreams, facts and fantasies. She remembered her fight with Gohan and couldn't help but be impressed, it wasn't just the way he'd fought her, it was the way he'd treated it, as if it were nothing special, as if he were nothing special, that she found impressive, and she had to admit very appealing. I wonder if he could beat me? She thought. It might just depend on who's having a good day and who's having a bad day. To bad he can't beat my dad, that might make my life a lot easier, though it probably wouldn't stop dad from telling me endless stories about his glorious past.  
As she kept thinking back to their fight, she remembered how gentle his touch had felt, even when he hit her, though he only ever connected with her hands as she'd blocked everything.  
Videl couldn't help a warm feeling from spreading inside her body as she thought of him. Maybe I am falling in love, she thought, but what will Erasa say, from the way she's been flirting with Gohan it seems she wants him too.  
And then there is Gohan's ability to fight. We're finding out some unusual things about timid little Son Gohan, it's been quite a surprise.  
  
/*  
  
Hey this is Goku, next time on Life Is Strange I'll be watching things happening down on Earth with the help of King Kai, will this lead to even more unusual happenings, and will Gohan and Videl get even closer together, don't miss the next Chapter of Life Is Strange.  
  
Ok. That's it for chapter three which I will now post by popular demand. I finished it last night actually, but it needed a little more touching up before posting (it's now 9:15 am CET), it'll take another couple of days at least to get the next chapter finished. I won't have a whole lof of time before Wednesday and though I've just introduced Goku to the story, with the next time on message, I really don't want to make another point of view if I don't need to, so that's going to take some thinking.  
In the mean time please review. I love to hear from my readers.  
  
*/ 


	4. The First Kiss

/*  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ isn't mine, Gohan is, well in my dreams he is at any rate.  
  
Anything between /* and */ is just me budding in, so is anything after // up until the next hard return.  
For those of you that realised or were wondering, I'm trying to learn to program in C++ as a hobby, that's the origin of the commentary codes.  
Anything between * stars * is an action.  
  
*/  
  
Life Is Strange  
  
Saga: Strange  
  
Chapter 4: The First Kiss  
  
In the morning Videl went through the normal morning rituals of showering and dressing, before heading down for breakfast and leaving for school.  
  
Gohan had arrived at school before Videl and was sitting on a low wall in front of the building when her jet-copter touched down.   
"Hey Videl." He said with a smile. "How are you?"  
"I'm fine." She responded, but Gohan thought she looked tired.  
"Are you sure, you look a little tired to me." He said.  
"Yeah I'm fine, just didn't sleep to well last night."  
Yeah, like I believe that. Gohan thought. There's more going on here than that, but you're not going to tell me are you.  
"Okay." He said out loud. "Do you want me to help you with physics again later on?"  
"Yeah that'd be great." Videl replied.  
With that the warning bell rang, and they had to hurry up to get to their class on time.  
  
At least I'm not surprised at him keeping up anymore. Videl thought as they made their way to their class. When they reached their seats Videl noticed that Erasa was sitting next to Sharpner.  
"Hey girl." Erasa greeted. "I hope you don't mind me steeling your seat, but I wanted to sit next to Sharpner."  
Something in her tone gave the whole thing away to Videl.  
"No problem." She answered, before adding in a whisper. "Are you two...?"   
She left the question unfinished, seeing no sense in wasting words or breath on stating the obvious.  
Erasa giggled and nodded, before whispering back: "Don't tell anyone yet ok."  
Videl nodded in reply and then turned over to Gohan.  
He had an eyebrow raised and was eyeing her in a questioning fashion. It was almost as if she could hear his mind whisper: "Are they...?"  
She nodded very slightly, and from the look on his face knew he got the message, they are, but don't tell.  
She saw his face turn into a grin as he motioned toward the two behind her with his head. When she turned to see what was going on, she saw that they were holding hands under the table, she just had time to return his grin before the teacher came in and they had to start paying attention to what was being taught.  
  
Three incredibly boring hours, in which Videl hadn't been able to help herself from occasionally staring at Gohan, later. The whole class was waiting for the bell, as the teacher prepared to make a final announcement.  
"All right everyone. Now tomorrow we're having a special career-orientation-seminar. This is an official school event so you are required to come. Now our main guest speaker will be Bulma Brief, owner of Capsule Corporation. As I'm sure you all know CC is the largest company in the world, and it's more than likely that at least half of you will end up working for her."  
The class seemed awed by the statement. And Videl couldn't help but feel impressed herself, her dad was easily one of the richest men in the world, but he wasn't worth peanuts compared to the owners of Capsule Corp. she returned to listening however as the teacher talked on.  
"Now, ms. Brief's talk will end the morning part of our program, which will be followed by a lunch for students and guests. During this lunch some of you may actually come in contact with her and the other guests, so I suggest that you make sure to be on your best behaviour and in your best clothes."  
  
Oh God, Gohan thought, I hope nobody finds out too much. Innocent country-boy knows richest woman in the world, is there anything strange about this picture. YES! And though Videl seems to have softened some I'm sure she still hasn't really given up on finding out what my secret is yet.  
Little sweat drops were appearing on his face. At least I can hope that she won't bring Vegeta and Trunks, that way I might have a chance to survive.  
Still dazed he walked out onto the grounds with the rest of the students, all of them muttering excitedly about their chance to meet Bulma Brief.  
Gohan was shaken out of his daze when he reached the tree they normally sat under along with Sharpner, Erasa and Videl.  
"Are you okay Gohan." Videl asked.  
"Yeah, I'm fine." He lied.  
  
Yeah right. Videl thought. But I suppose we all have a way of insisting on that even when we're not.  
"So when did you two get together." Gohan asked Sharpner and Erasa softly, preventing Videl from slipping into a daze of her own.  
"Did Videl tell you?" Erasa asked, looking at her best friend rather angrily.  
"Of course not." Gohan said, before Videl could even protest herself. "But the way you were holding hands under the table did sort of give it away."  
Both Sharpner and Erasa blushed at having been caught.  
"Uhm, well uh." Sharpner stammered. "Uh, I guess after the party Saturday we felt closer to each other, you saw us dancing, so we decided to have lunch Sunday and the rest as they say is history."  
"Fairly recent history I'd say." Gohan said with a smile.  
God, Videl thought, why does he have to look so cute when he smiles? Why does he have to look so cute period? Doesn't he know I'm trying not to fall in love with him? And what's up with him anyway? Why'd he look so dazed when we came out of class?  
"Say Gohan." Videl said. "Could you help me with physics now?"  
"Sure." He replied, but Videl thought there was still something strange about him.  
  
Gohan spend the rest of the day feeling slightly numbed by the fact that Bulma would be at his school the next day. I just hope nothing strange will happen, he kept thinking.  
That evening when he came home for dinner. Goten jumped him, telling him that he'd go over to play with Trunks the next day.  
Good. Gohan thought. If Goten is there playing with Trunks, that will probably mean Vegeta will stay behind to watch them, so it'll be just Bulma, and she's mentally stable, most of the time at any rate.  
After dinner Gohan spend some time on his homework, before going outside to train with Goten. Goten was quickly learning to transform at will, so they had a nice Super-Saiyan spar until Chi-Chi yelled that it was time for Goten to go to bed.  
After Goten went back inside Gohan continued to train with himself for a while, using the multi-form technique to be his own sparring partner. Guess I picked that up from Piccolo. He thought to himself.   
About an hour later he reintegrated with himself and went to bed.  
  
The next morning Goten left for Capsule Corporation right after breakfast, as Gohan left for school.  
Gohan flew next to the nimbus for a little while, before heading of towards Satan city as fast as he could go.  
Thankfully Videl wasn't around yet, so he could land in an alley near the school and transform back into his normal clothes.  
When he reached the building he saw that he had been mistaken, Videl was around, but not in the air, she was just sitting on the wall where he often sat waiting for her. She was facing away from him and as he walked over to her, he noticed that she wasn't wearing her usual t-shirt and shorts, but a pair of black jeans and a sweater.  
Hmm. He thought. It seems like she's decided to go by the well-dressed protocol. I guess I would too if I were about to have a chance to meet the richest woman in the world for the first time, but then, I met her for the first time when I was five and a half and still had a tail.  
"Hey Videl." He said causing her to turn towards him.  
  
Videl turned at the sound of Gohan's voice.  
Damn I missed him. She thought. I just can't seem to find out how he gets to school every day if he lives in the 439 area.  
"Hey Gohan." She responded. "Why aren't you dressed up like the rest of us?"  
"Gosh to be honest Videl, I just thought I look decent enough like this."  
"Oh, you do, it's just that most people want to make a special effort if they're going to have an opportunity to meet Bulma Brief."  
"I just didn't feel like bothering with it."  
Strange, Videl thought, he makes it sound as if it's no big deal to him.  
  
I hope Videl isn't starting to suspect something. Gohan thought as he walked inside with her. They would have one hour of normal school first before the seminar would start so they made their way up to their classroom on the top floor. Sharpner and Erasa were in their seats already and Gohan noticed that like Videl they had dressed for the occasion, as indeed everyone but him seemed to have done. Sharpner was wearing a white suit, and Erasa a red dress.  
// Sharpner's suit is like the one he wears at the world tournament, except the shirt is light-blue instead of pink, and the tie is black in stead of yellow.  
"Hey guys." Gohan greeted as he and Videl slid into their seats.  
"Hey Gohan." They both replied.  
"Why aren't you dressed up?" Sharpner asked.  
Great, Gohan thought, now I'm raising eyebrows all over the place just by wearing my normal clothes.  
"Just didn't feel like it." He responded again.  
  
Class started and Gohan noticed that even the teacher had bothered to dress slightly more formal than he usually did. Rather than the usual combination of a different coloured jacket and trousers, he was wearing a black suit.  
After an hour the bell rang and all students went outside and gathered in the pavilion that had been set up on the grass behind the school. A few people from various companies talked about their work and the general sector they worked in, before the announcer came on stage.  
"Now ladies and gentleman." He said into the microphone. "The moment I'm sure many of you have been waiting for. Orange star high school is proud to present a special lecture by: Bulma Brief."  
Gohan nearly gasped in shock as Bulma walked onto the stage accompanied by Vegeta, Trunks and his own little brother Goten.  
My god. Gohan thought as he noticed the others. How on Earth did she get Vegeta to come here? Why on Earth would she want Vegeta to come here? For that matter why did she have to bring the two leaders in the global let's make things difficult on Gohan standing, also known as Trunks Brief and my little brother.  
Why did she...  
At this point Gohan ran out of time to wonder about why, at least for the time being, because Trunks and Goten had launched themselves of the stage, and into the crowd.   
Well, it's been a nice life. Gohan thought as the two kids made their way through the crowd to jump him.  
  
What's that black haired kid wearing? Videl thought as she saw the two of them jumping Gohan. It looks like that Gi Gohan used. Didn't he say that was a family thing? Her question quickly answered by the little guy himself as he chirped a sweet little: "Hey big brother."  
"Hi Gohan." The other kid seconded.   
"Hey Goten, hey Trunks." Gohan answered, sounding somewhat troubled. "What are you guys doing here?"  
"Well," the little boy Videl had just discovered was called Goten answered, "because Trunks mom had to go here, and Vegeta said he would go too, they took us along."  
  
Gohan looked over to the stage where he saw Vegeta smirking. The bastard, he thought, he went along because he knew this would happen, and a free lunch not cooked by Bulma is probably also more than welcome to him. 'I hate you.' He thought at Vegeta, using the telepathic part of his Saiyan brain. Normally it was difficult to communicate like this, but he was angry enough at Vegeta to be sure it would come through. 'The feeling is mutual brat.' Vegeta's reply echoed in his head. 'Your pride is still wounded eh, Vegeta. Still can't take it that a half-blood offspring of a third-class Saiyan has more power than you.' 'You wish kid, you may have been stronger than me at the Cell-games, but I've grown stronger since then.' 'Funny, so have I, don't get me mad, or it might unleash my full strength again, and you don't want that to happen Vegeta, I can guarantee you don't want that. I'm a little weaker now than I was when I thought Cell, but that's the power I automatically have, if I push myself harder and get mad, you'll see the same sort of rise in Ki you saw when I faced Cell.'  
Gohan smirked as he saw Vegeta's face go from a confident smirk to a confused and angry scowl.  
// This is my interpretation of the Gohan / Vegeta power ratio, Gohan still can't tap into his full strength at will, so he seems weaker than Vegeta, but is stronger when he's pushed hard enough.  
  
What's he looking at that guy like that for? Videl thought seeing Gohan apparently engaged in a staring match with the man standing next to Bulma Brief.  
"Uhm, Gohan?" She said questioningly.  
"What is it Videl?" He whispered back.  
"Who are the kids?"   
"Oh, this is my little brother Goten, and this is his best friend Trunks Brief."  
"Brief as in Bulma Brief?"  
"Yeah, she's his mother, and the guy next to her, in case you're wondering, is his father."  
"Who's the girl, Gohan?" The boy Videl now knew to be Trunks asked while indicating her with his hand.   
"Oh, yeah, this is Videl."  
"You mean the daughter of Hercule?" Trunks said. And Videl noticed a rather strange tone in his voice.  
"Yeah, she's a friend." Gohan replied. And to Videl's amazement both Trunks and Goten burst out laughing.  
"What is it?" She asked nobody in particular.  
"Oh nothing." Trunks replied cryptically. "Just a joke for insiders."  
  
Gohan eyed Trunks angrily at that last remark. The boy was walking a very thin line, and loving every minute of it from the look on his face. I just hope my little bro doesn't let anything slip. Gohan thought, as he watched both of them with some concern.  
I guess this means I won't be able to hide knowing the Briefs, but that isn't the worst thing I suppose, though I really don't want to give Videl even more mysteries to investigate. I should still be fine if neither of the two kids let's anything slip, Vegeta won't anyway, Bulma'd flip.  
"Gohan?" Videl's voice brought him out of his own thoughts, back to reality.  
"What Videl?" He asked, hoping on an after thought that he hadn't sounded too harsh.  
"Do you know the Briefs?"  
"Yeah, Bulma is an old friend of my dad's I think I was about five and a half when I first met her."  
"Why didn't you tell me?"  
That's a good question, from a normal persons point of view, I can hardly say, 'Cause I was worried you'd find out I was an alien.' Now can I.  
"I didn't want to shock you with even more unexpected revelations about myself." Good one Gohan, he thought to himself, that was true, well sort off anyway.  
"Still you could have told me." Videl stated, and from he tone Gohan knew that she wanted him to make it up to her.  
"Tell you what, why don't I introduce you to her over lunch." Videl nodded happily and Gohan pointed behind him to the disappearing backs of Trunks and Goten. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go see to it that those two don't accidentally set fire to the school or something." Videl nodded again and Gohan ran off after the two younger Saiyans.  
  
Gohan soon caught up with the two kids.  
"Are you really friends with her Gohan?" Trunks asked.  
"Yeah." Gohan replied with a smile.  
"Even after what her father did?" The young member of the Brief family seemed puzzled by this.  
"Sure." Gohan said. "After all I'm friends with you, and the first time I met your father he wanted to kill me."  
"Good point." Trunks had to admit.  
"Do you think her dad told her the truth about the Cell-games?" Goten asked with one of those typical innocent looks that only he and Goku could muster on his face.  
"I don't think so squirt." Gohan replied. "I think he sometimes even believes his own version of events. So don't tell her or ask her anything about it. If we remain friends," or more he added in silent thought, "I'll probably tell her at some point, but right now she isn't ready to hear about it."  
"Why not." Damn Goten can be clueless, Gohan thought, but that's probably part of his charm.  
"It's a bit much to explain now squirt, but would you be able to understand dad defeated Frieza, if you'd been told since you were little that I'd done it?"  
"I guess not, did you?" Clueless is a polite word. Gohan thought. As he noticed Trunks slap his own forehead.  
"Of course I didn't, it's just that Videl would get the same sort of shock if she found out about Cell."   
"Oh I think I understand now."  
"Good Goten, so what ever you do, don't mention Cell, or anything else to do with the Cell-games. And I don't think I have to remind you that we can't turn into Super-Saiyans with all these people around."  
"Don't worry we won't." Trunks answered in Goten's place.  
Figures. Gohan thought. If one can do it so can the other. I should have suspected as much. I'm betting Vegeta doesn't know yet, he'd probably have a heart attack, after all the effort it took him to get to where he could go super his own son manages it as an eight year old. A grin not unlike Vegeta's trademark smirk settled on Gohan's face as he guided the two kids back into the Pavilion with a hand on each of their heads.   
"One more thing guys." He said as they were almost within a normal human's hearing range of the pavilion again. "At lunch try not to eat more than humans do, and try not to eat too fast, we don't want people finding out about us, okay."  
To his great surprise the two of them kept relatively calm during the rest of Bulma's talk. Gohan speculated that they're unusual rest might have something to do with the fact that they'd just seen him beat Vegeta in a staring contest, something that few people had ever managed.  
After Bulma's talk about the many wonders of Capsule Corporation, and it's role in the world economy wound down lunch was announced and Gohan, with Videl and the two youngsters in tow went over to talk to her.  
It took a little bit of work to push through the crowd of people but with Gohan's strength it was nothing he couldn't handle.  
Bulma was standing near one of the buffet tables with Vegeta, and Gohan could see from the disappointed look on the prince's face that she'd told him, either in advance or through her bond, not to eat so much that it would arouse suspicion.  
  
"Hey Bulma." He said in a casual tone that shocked most students in the area, including Sharpner and Erasa who had made their way to the front.  
"Oh, hey Gohan." She replied turning to him, making the already surprised by-standers just about faint. "I see you've been babysitting Trunks for me."  
"Well, he and Goten came looking for me, so I thought I'd better keep an eye on my brother, and the last time I checked they came as a package deal." He said with a smile.  
"Yes." She replied with a grin. "Partners in mischief, did they give you any trouble?"  
"Nah, I can handle 'm. By the way, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine Videl Satan." He said gently pulling Videl forward by her arm.  
/*   
Since I'm using Son Gohan, Videl Satan seems a bit out of place, as does the order of Bulma Brief, however Gohan Son doesn't sound right to me, and neither do, Brief Bulma or Satan Videl, let me know what you think by reviewing, I may change it, if the vote goes against my current solution, going with what feels right. Note that I may change it, even if you vote the other way, I may not change it, I'll probably have to try it out, to see if it works for me.   
*/  
"The Videl Satan?" Bulma asked.  
"Of course, how many Videl Satans do you think there are?" Gohan replied while glaring at Vegeta who'd started shaking with laughter.  
  
"Nice to meet you. Ms. Brief." Videl said to Bulma, while eyeing Vegeta strangely. From what Gohan had told her that short guy was Bulma's husband, but why did he appear to be laughing?  
"Please call me Bulma." Bulma responded. "And the pleasure's mine."  
"You're actually friends with his offspring." Vegeta said turning to Gohan.  
"Give it a rest Vegeta, or Bulma might make you go shopping." Gohan replied.  
His offspring. Videl thought. He must be referring to her father. But why the term offspring, was he just crazy, or was there something else going on here, and what was that tone she'd heard when he uttered the word his? Jealousy, anger? But why?  
"Hey." Bulma interjected. "Don't you threaten Vegeta with that, that's my job."  
"Well, go right ahead then." Gohan said with a grin.  
"Okay." Bulma said. "Vegeta, if you don't give it a rest I'll make you go shopping with me every day for a week, and I won't do any maintenance on the GR for a month."  
"GR?" Videl said, raising her eyebrow with the question.  
"I shouldn't have mentioned that." Bulma replied. "It's a top-secret project of mine that Vegeta likes to use."  
The rest of their lunch went rather smoothly, Videl and Bulma chatted on, while Gohan had his hands full with the kids. And Vegeta just stood there scowling. Occasionally eating something, but clearly pacing himself.  
The afternoon part of the seminar was nice. And soon it was over. Videl left in her jet-copter, heading for home with her mind filled with questions.  
Why is it, she thought, that every time I find out something about Gohan it gives me more questions than answers. I'm having more trouble figuring him out than I have with the Great-Sayaman, at least there I know I'm not making progress, but here I just seem to be getting more questions as I go.  
  
Gohan flew home with his little brother. Goten was as always chattering on endlessly about his day, but Gohan's mind was on other things. Was Videl finding out things, was she figuring things out?  
He needed some peace and quiet to think about that. But he probably wouldn't get any the next couple of days.  
At least I have Friday afternoon off. He thought. And then the holidays start. Maybe I can go somewhere to meditate then.  
  
The week was indeed hectic until that Friday afternoon. After school Gohan dropped by his house, before heading out again. While he was in the air he almost automatically made his way to the lookout, he wanted to be alone for a while and he knew that in it's many chambers there was always room to do that. As he landed he was greeted by Piccolo, Dende and mister Popo.  
"Hi Gohan." Dende said. "Good to see you."  
"Thanks Dende, it's good to see you too. You too Piccolo, and mister Popo of course."  
"Nice to see you Gohan." Mister Popo replied. While Piccolo only gave a very slight nod combined with a gleam in his eye.  
Gohan didn't need anything more. Piccolo had always been the strong and silent type, even back when Gohan was little those tiny little signs and changes had been enough to start their friendship.  
"Dende," he asked, "could I use one of the tower rooms for a while, I want to meditate."  
"Sure Gohan." Dende responded. "We'll see to it that you're not disturbed."  
"Thanks I owe you guys."  
"Don't mention it."  
  
Gohan sat in mid air, his legs crossed, and a small Ki-charge surrounding his body. He'd picked this style of meditation up from Piccolo and it worked well for him, soon his mind was becoming clearer, in preparation for focusing on the problems he needed to solve.  
'Hey Gohan.' A voice in his mind called. That voice, Gohan thought, I can't be...  
'Dad is that you.' His mind asked.  
'Yeah it's me.' His father's voice came in reply. 'I've been keeping an eye on things down there with the help of King Kai. So you really like this Videl girl huh?'  
Boy, talk about cutting right to the chase. Gohan thought.   
'I guess so.' He replied.  
'Come on Gohan, don't be shy, this is your dad you're talking to remember.'  
'Okay you're right I like her.' Gohan could feel himself blushing even though his dad was in other-world and couldn't see him. 'But what should I do about it?' He asked.  
'Just go with your feelings Gohan, see if she likes you. And if she does, try to find a way to wish me back before your wedding.'  
'Are you serious dad, you want to come back?'  
For that matter, where is this weddin idea coming from, and why does it feel right? Gohan wondered keeping the thought to himself and blushing even harder.  
'Yeah, I figure that if no villains have shown up to come after me in the past seven years it ought to be save.'  
'Ok, I'll make sure to wish you back IF we get married, might have to do some thinking about how to get to New-Namek, I'd like to find a way that leaves it possible for Dende to go back there to see his friends when he wants to.'  
'I'm sure you'll figure something out Gohan. You always were the smart one in the family.'  
'Thanks for the vote of confidence dad, I'll talk to you later.'  
//There is some doubt, especially with my sister, about whether or not it's possible to revive someone after a long period of time, in this fic it is, after all if it weren't we'd expect some discussion when in the beginning of DBZ they waited a year to wish Goku back. And the only time there seems to be a time-limit is in the group wish to bring back Frieza's victims and bringing back a group takes more wishing power.  
  
Gohan now had all the answers he needed from his meditation, though actually it hadn't been the meditation that had given him the answers but his dad.  
"What happened in there Gohan?" Piccolo asked as his young friend stormed out of the tower.  
"I talked to my dad." Gohan replied.  
"What...? " Piccolo asked surprised. "You talked to your dad?"  
"Yeah, you see there's this girl I like, well not just like, maybe even love."   
Gohan blushed as Piccolo made a semi-disapproving gesture. But couldn't quite pull it of. "And," Gohan continued not noticing it, "he said that if we get together and get married he's coming back."  
"He's coming back." Piccolo, Dende and mister Popo said at the same time.  
"Yeah, I'll have to use the Namekian Dragon Balls though, since ours can't revive him again. But we'll work something out."  
"So who is this girl?" Piccolo asked, curious in spite of himself.  
"Videl Satan." Gohan replied simply. Blushing a deep red again.  
The two Nameks and mister Popo, all just about fainted when he said this. "Isn't she the daughter of that Hercule guy?" Dende finally asked.  
"You should know," Gohan answered with a smile, "you're the God of Earth remember."  
// This is based on the Japanese version where Kami isn't a name but a title, meaning Spirit or God. Replaced in the English version by Guardian.  
"Hey, I can't keep tabs on everyone all the time. That isn't what being God is about anyway."  
"I know Dende, just teasing. Yes, she is the daughter of Hercule. But she's really a lot nicer than him."  
"I should hope so." Piccolo said in the gruff yet friendly tone that only ever surfaced when Gohan was around. "I've said it before, I don't believe in what humans call love, but if it makes you happy that's good enough for me kid."  
  
Gohan raced from the lookout to the Son-residence so fast that it was almost as if he'd used the instant transmission to get there.  
He could just hear his little brother shouting: "Gohan's on his way here." As he stepped inside.  
"Hey mom, hey Goten." He greeted stepping in.  
"Hi Gohan." Chi-Chi responded. "Done meditating already?"  
"Well I didn't really get around to meditating." Gohan replied. "Just as I was starting dad talked to me through King Kai."  
"You father talked to you, what did he say?" Chi-Chi asked.  
"That's a long story, but he's been keeping up with everything that's going on here I can tell you that. He even knows more about my life than you guys do." Gohan said blushing at the memory of what he'd discussed with his father.  
"What do you mean by that, Son Gohan." Chi-Chi, said threateningly. "Have you been keeping secrets from me?"  
"Not really, but I don't have time to go into that now." Gohan stated his blush deepening.   
  
And I don't want to get your hopes up he thought to himself.  
"I need to make a phone-call." He stated grabbing the cordless phone and going outside so he could have some privacy.  
He dug in his pockets until he found a certain little piece of paper, quickly read it, and punched in some numbers.  
Soon he could hear the phone on the other end ringing, and a now familiar drawn out voice answered the phone.  
"Satan residence."  
"Hi, my name is Son Gohan, I want to talk to Videl."  
"And why to do you want to speak to the mistress?" The voice enquired politely, yet threateningly. So this is what Videl meant by him making it hard on people that called. Gohan thought.  
"That is between Videl and myself." He replied coldly, but politely. "All I can tell you is that it's urgent."  
"I will see if the mistress is available." Jeffrey the butler replied.  
He'd better really check Gohan thought, using his Saiyan senses combined with the phone, to listen in on what was going on in the Satan mansion. A few moments later, without Gohan hearing a sound, except for breathing near the horn, Jeffrey's voice came again. "I'm sorry but the mistress is not available right now."  
"Really." Said Gohan abandoning the false pretence of being polite with this stiff butler. "Why don't you really ask her and find out?"  
He smirked as he heard Jeffrey gasp at the other end, and then heard a shout in the distance. "Miss Videl, there is a call for you are you available?"  
"Who's it from?" Videl's voice came in answer.  
"Someone by the name of Son Gohan I believe."  
"Okay, put it through to my room." Videl replied. And Gohan smiled into the horn.  
"I'll put you through sir." Came Jeffrey's cold voice.  
A few seconds later Gohan heard Videl's voice on the line.  
"Hey Gohan."  
"Hey Videl."  
"So, why are you calling?"  
"Well I was wondering if you'd like to come over and train tomorrow. I could use a good spar."  
Not that I'm going to get one from you. He added in thought. But it will be a good exercise in self-control.   
"Great. Where exactly in the 439 area do you live?"  
"I'll e-mail you a map with our house on it. See you tomorrow."  
"Ok see you then."  
// Okay, so they have e-mail in this story, it was the easiest solution okay.  
  
A few hours after Gohan had called Videl checked her e-mail. There was indeed an e-mail from Gohan with JPEG file attached.  
Hmm, she thought as she studied the map, on which one house was highlighted, looks like there's no-one else living there for miles around.  
At dinner she told her dad that she was going to a friends house to train the next day.   
"Okay. Videl." He replied. "You're my daughter I suppose it's natural that you'd want to train as much as possible. After all you may be just as strong as me one day if you keep it up."  
Oh please, spare me. Videl thought. But she knew better than to say that.  
  
The next morning she headed out to Gohan's house where he was already waiting for her in his Gi as she approached.  
"Hey Videl." He greeted her as she got out of her copter.  
"Hey Gohan."  
"Would you like to come in for a while before we spar, I'll introduce you to my mother. You've already met my brother of course."  
"Sure."  
She followed Gohan into the house. Goten was laying on the couch in his Gi, watching cartoons, while a dark haired woman was busy doing the dishes in the kitchen.  
That must be Gohan's mother. She thought.  
"Mom, I'd like to introduce you to someone."  
The woman turned around and Videl could tell instantly from the look in her eyes that this was someone she'd better try to stay on the good side off.  
"Mom, this is Videl Satan." Gohan continued. "Videl, this is my mother Son Chi-Chi."  
"Hi." Videl said. "Pleased to meet you."  
A strange look passed over Chi-Chi's face before she replied. "It's nice to meet you too Videl."  
"Videl came over to spar with me." Gohan stated.  
"Oh." Chi-Chi replied. "Anything else I should know about between you two?"  
"What do you mean mom. We're just going to train."  
"Well, your father and I were just going to fight in the quarter finals of the world-tournament, and we ended up married."  
"You fought in the world-tournament?" Videl asked. Surprised by this revelation.  
"Yes, the 23rd to be exact when Goku won. We faced each other in the quarter-finals. And then got married after his winning the tournament."  
Videl couldn't believe what she was hearing. No wonder Gohan is such a good fighter, if both of his parents made it to the world-tournament finals.  
  
After a few more minutes of chit-chat, in which Chi-Chi started repeatedly mentioning the words marriage and grandchildren. Videl went outside along with a blushing Gohan.  
"I guess it's just natural that you're such a good fighter." She said as they made their way to a field, a few hundred yards away. "After all if both of your parents made it past the elimination round, you must be good."  
"I guess." Gohan replied. "But let's not worry about that right now, let's just spar."  
  
Their spar was about the same as the one at her house had been, neither of them gave the other an inch. Finally after a few hours of sparring they sat down on a rock together.  
Videl didn't know what came over her, but the instant they sat down next to each other, she leaned towards Gohan. Their faces were only separate by a few inches and then he leaned towards her as well. Their lips meeting in a kiss.  
As they kissed each other she let her hands run over his shoulders and down his arms, on her way to take his hands in hers.  
She closed her eyes and along the way bumped into something on his wrist that seemed to give a little.   
Must be a button on his watch she thought to herself as she went on to take his hands.  
  
/*   
What's happening here, did Videl really bump in to Gohan's watch, and if so which button did she hit? Find out next time on Life Is Strange.  
  
* Evil Vegeta style smirk * Cliffhanger. I'm evil and proud of it, leaving you like that. Now you'll all have to read the next chapter. As soon as I write it of course. This chapter has come out a bit more quickly than I'd expected. I'm home with the flu right now and writing is one of the few things that help take my mind of it. So you can thank the Virus for this. Unfortunately for you I am starting to feel a bit better so you may have to wait a while for the next chapter.  
  
*/ 


	5. Truth Is A Weird Thing

/*  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ isn't mine, Gohan is, well in my dreams he is at any rate.  
  
Anything between /* and */ is just me budding in, so is anything after // up until the next hard return.  
For those of you that realised or were wondering, I'm trying to learn to program in C++ as a hobby, that's the origin of the commentary codes.  
Anything between * stars * is an action.  
  
*/  
  
/*  
  
Response to reviews:  
To all of you who agreed with my original assessment that I'm evil, I've changed it, I'm mean, but not evil. I have to vote with Lizzy on this one. Evil would have been if I'd used my other plan, which was to write the first chapter for another fic I have in mind before continuing this.  
  
On the names issue, the reviews were divided as well, so I've decided to stick with my original use of the Son family name in front of the person's name, and other family names after the person's name. Let's just say they're from different areas with slight cultural differences where it comes to names.  
  
To Lady Queen:   
A good threat would be making sure I couldn't write anymore, but I guess you'd have yourself with that as well.  
  
To Keios Thiori:  
  
Thanks for looking it up for me, and thanks for the links, though I spend so much time writing now a days that I don't really have the time for other hobbies anymore.  
  
To Optical Mouse:  
As for the name convention see above. About Bulma's last name, the official website: www.dragonballz.com has it listed as Brief, no S so singular not plural.  
  
Finally to all who guessed it was the Sayaman button:  
Well DUH.  
  
And to all of you in general:  
Thanks a lot. I have more than one page now I don't think I've been this happy since my total passed 20. // Is it me or can those reviews be addictive?  
  
*/  
  
/*  
  
Opening note for chapter 5:  
  
Gohan and Videl may both be a little OOC compared to usual in this chapter, and maybe in following chapters as well, what can I say, love makes people act different. (Like Krillin stopped shaving his head.)  
  
*/  
  
Life Is Strange  
  
Saga: Truth  
  
Chapter 5: Truth Is A Weird Thing   
  
Videl opened her eyes again, as her hands met Gohan's. To her surprise she wasn't looking at Gohan anymore but right into the dark visor on Sayaman's helmet.  
"Sayaman." She mumbled breaking the kiss.  
This must be a weird dream, she thought, it just has to be. But don't let it stop just yet.  
  
Gohan who had like Videl closed his eyes during the early part of their kiss opened them again when Videl's lips left his and he heard her mutter something. He immediately noticed his darkened vision and when he remembered her hands sliding down his arms it didn't take him long to figure out what had happened.  
Dende. He thought. This is definitely not good timing. I knew she was going to have to find out sometime but this isn't the ideal moment.   
"Uhm. I can explain Videl." He said. At least I hope so, he added in thought.  
  
He can explain??? Videl wondered as she backed away. Does that mean this isn't a dream?  
She pinched herself hard to find out. Definitely not a dream, she thought as she felt a stab of pain in her arm. But that would mean that Gohan is Sayaman, but how is that possible, how could he be at my party twice? For that matter he has black hair and Sayaman told me he is the Gold-fighter.  
Both of them had jumped up now and they were standing a few paces away from each other.  
"Well I can't wait to hear the explanation." She said. "How did you just turn into Sayaman in the middle of a kiss?"  
"Oh that's simple." Gohan said. "You must have bumped into the button on my watch." He pushed the button himself and to Videl's great surprise the Sayaman uniform instantly vanished and he was wearing his normal Gi again.  
"How does it work?" She asked very surprised indeed by the ease of the sudden transformation.  
"I'm not sure to be honest." Gohan answered. "Bulma made it for me. She's probably the only person in the world that does understand."  
"Okay, I can follow that. But what I can't follow is how both you and Sayaman were at my party."  
  
Ah well. Gohan thought. Let's just hope this doesn't completely freak her out then I might still have a chance with her.  
"That's a rather special technique." He said. Raising his hands to his face. "Multiform."  
Immediately there were two of him. He turned to each other, "Split-thoughts." Both of him said at the same time. Instantly each body had it's own consciousness though they were still more or less aware of the other's thoughts. Due to the telepathic link they shared. A quick thought passed through that link and the second Gohan, the one that had been split off nodded and pressed the button on his watch.  
"That's how." Gohan simply stated while Gohan#2 now turned Sayaman nodded.  
  
What's happening here? Videl thought.  
"Are you both real, or is one just an illusion?" She asked.  
"Oh, we're both real." Gohan replied. "Though actually I'm the original, and he's a copy."  
"A copy?"  
"Really not the perfect word perhaps, but the best I can think of. The second part of the technique you just saw was actually to make sure that we each have our own thoughts rather than just one consciousness. That doesn't really matter that much in a fight, in fact it's better to think with one mind in a fight, but for things like the party, or this, it's better to split them, or we'd say everything in stereo. If you want to be sure we're both real, just touch and see for yourself." Again the Sayaman half of him nodded in agreement and Videl found herself left speechless. Slowly she walked towards them and touched both of them on the arm, they both felt real and... well identical. Not to mention strong and muscular. Stop that Videl, she thought at herself angrily, you're trying to figure this out, not feel his muscles.  
How can he do something like this, she wondered regaining her intended line of thought. And from what he said it seems that this is a fighting technique, why hasn't he used it against me?  
While she stood there thinking Gohan and Sayaman walked a few paces away and looked each other in the eyes for a while, and then Sayaman nodded before turning back into Gohan#2.  
"Reintegrate." Both Gohans said simultaneously and within seconds the two bodies blurred together and then resurfaced as one.  
  
I think that's about all she can handle right now. Gohan thought noticing the stunned look on Videl's face. She's bound to have a lot of other questions, but she'll need time to deal with this first.   
He was right about there being more questions and soon discovered some of them as Videl after a little thinking started asking questions again at a rapid pace, apparently expecting him to answer them later as she didn't pause between questions to let him reply.  
"How do you fly, is that another of Bulma's inventions? And have you been holding back while fighting me? And why don't bullets have any effect on you? And how did you get so fas..."  
She fell silent as he brought a finger to his lips.  
"To answer your first question." He said. "No, flying is not another of Bulma's inventions. It would take too much time to explain how I do it now, but suffice it to say that it's something that can be learned. I could probably teach you. As for the other questions we'll get around to them in due time."  
"Come on tell me now." Videl insisted.  
"No. Maybe you didn't notice yourself, but you were quite surprised and I'd almost say shaken when I did the multi-form technique and that's just a small tip of the iceberg so we shouldn't rush things."  
  
He's right. Videl thought biting her lip. I don't like it but he is right. She sighed.   
"Okay." She agreed albeit reluctantly. "Just answer me one question now. Do you love me?"  
"Uhm ... well ... uhm ..." Gohan stuttered blushing heavily, "I uhn, I guess I do yes."  
"You know Gohan." She said walking up to him. "I think I love you too."  
With those words she put her arms around his waist as she stood on her toes. Even like that she couldn't quite reach his lips, but he helped her by bowing his head toward her, allowing their lips to meet in another kiss. It was long soft and tender, and unlike the first not interrupted by sudden transformations.  
  
The kiss didn't last forever of course. Though Gohan with his Saiyan physiology could go without breathing for quite some time, Videl as a normal human had a somewhat shorter time limit she needed to observe before coming up for air.  
After breaking their kiss Videl glanced at her watch noticing that it was almost one in the afternoon, time for her to head back to Satan-city as she had a hair-dressers appointment at three.  
// I still had to get her the short hair since I split off this AU after episode 188 which is before her haircut.  
She and Gohan said good-bye to each other, and after a quick good-bye kiss, she got out her jet-copter and took off for home.  
  
I really should tell her everything. Gohan thought as Videl took off. But I don't know how to, especially the truth about the Cell-games. I can't just say 'Gee Videl, for the last seven years your father's been living a lie, and you to an extend have been living it with him.'  
But she certainly needs to know what she's getting herself into falling in love with me.  
We need to go somewhere we can be alone to talk. But where? We could go to Piccolo's old place I suppose, he doesn't live there any more, and it's a desert-island. Also gives me a nice way to illustrate some points if I need to.  
"I'll take her there tomorrow." He decided, speaking the words out loud to himself.  
  
The next morning Videl found herself standing in front of her mirror, trying to get used to her new look. The short hair her hairdresser had recommended to her did look good, she had to admit. Then she winced at the memory of dinner last night.  
"What happened to your hair Videl?" Her father had asked in his usual blustering tone, shocking her by noticing.  
"I had it cut." She'd replied. What did he think anyway that she'd been run-over by a lawnmower.  
"Why, are you trying to impress some boy, because if you are, you should know that I won't let you have a boyfriend unless he's at least as strong as me. After all how is some puny little runt ever going to be able to defend my daughter? And..."  
Videl had tuned out at that point. Like I need defending she'd thought with a great deal of sarcasm, I've taken on most major criminals and defeated, with the help of my boyfriend. Boyfriend, that word does suddenly seem to have a new and nice ring to it. She thought standing in front of her mirror and returning to the present once again.   
She'd just finished getting dressed when she heard the doorbell ring downstairs.  
I wonder who could be calling at 10 am on a Sunday she thought. Glancing at her clock. Filled with curiosity she made her way to the hall to see Gohan on the doorstep faced with a rather peeved looking Jeffrey.  
"Hey Gohan." She yelled as she ran down the stairs. "You're just on time, come on."  
With those words she raced past Jeffrey and out the door, grabbing Gohan's hand on the way, pulling him along.  
"What did you mean by you're just on time?" He questioned as they reached the nearby park and stopped to let their breathing return to normal, though it seemed as if Gohan had no need to do so.  
"I, * gulp * only said that to * gulp * get passed Jeffrey. * gulp * If I hadn't * gulp * gotten you away from him then, he'd * gulp * have started asking questions, and that would mean my dad would find out."  
"You haven't told him about us yet have you?" Gohan asked.  
"No I just couldn't find the courage to, he'd give me his whole, your boyfriend must be stronger than me speech, and I'd already had to listen to that during dinner because of my new hair-cut."  
"It looks great on you Videl. Was he worried there would be to many boys after you now?"  
"He was thinking that I might be trying to impress a boy." Videl stated.  
"And are you?" Gohan asked, his lips moving toward hers.  
"Maybe." She said. Giving him a small peck on the lips. "But not here, I don't want any reporters seeing us."  
"Don't worry." Gohan replied. "There won't be any reporters where I'm taking you."  
  
She really does look great. Gohan thought as Videl adopted a puzzled look.  
"And where are you taking me?" She asked.   
"You'll see." He replied, not wanting to reveal too much yet. "Let's just say we're going there so we can talk in private." He said.  
"Why do you have your school-bag with you?" She asked, apparently noticing it for the first time.  
"I have my reasons, you'll find out in due time, for now let it suffice for me to say that I wanted to bring some things."  
Videl pouted for a bit, clearly she'd been hoping for more than that. But Gohan pretended not to notice and pushed the button on his watch, transforming into Sayaman.  
"Why'd you transform?" Videl whispered.  
"Because we're going to fly to our destination." Gohan replied. "And I'll be doing the flying."  
He held out his arms, and Videl happily jumped into them.  
"You don't have to carry me you know?" She said. "We could just take my jet-copter, or I could follow you in it."  
"I know, but I want to get where we're going quickly." Gohan replied.  
"Are you saying you think you're faster than my jet-copter?" Videl asked, sounding amazed.  
"I think I am." Gohan replied. "But why don't you wait and judge for yourself."  
Gohan held Videl safely in his arms, and she even put her arms around his neck, as he took off. He immediately expanded his Ki around both of them so they wouldn't feel more than a slight breeze, even when flying at his top speed. Then he really started to use his Ki at maximum to get to where he wanted to go.  
  
He wasn't kidding about being faster than my jet-copter. Videl thought as she saw the countryside flash by beneath them. But how can he just fly like this, and how is it that all I can feel is a slight breeze while we're flying super-sonic?  
She looked down again to see the beach pass under her and then the sea, soon there was nothing but ocean in sight beneath them as Gohan flew on, apparently certain of his destination. Videl couldn't help but grab on to him tighter out of some vague extra fear of falling here in the middle of the ocean.  
Quite suddenly something appeared on the horizon they were speeding towards. At first there was noting much to see, but soon she realised that she was looking a large Island. It's terrain seemed to consist of many mountains, but when they drew even closer she saw that there were also may flat areas. A lot of them desserts, but others were lush and fertile, filled with plants. Gohan set down on a ridge over looking one of the green valleys. And as he transformed out of his Sayaman costume Videl stood on her own legs again. They'd journeyed several thousand miles at least. But she didn't think it had taken them more than thirty minutes. It was almost impossible to believe that someone could just fly like that without any technology behind it, yet she trusted Gohan when he said that this was just something that could be learned.  
  
While Videl stood on the ridge, Gohan went into the valley for a few seconds, returning with two pieces of tree-trunk that could be used as stools.  
"Not the most luxury accommodations imaginable I'm afraid." He said apologetically. "But I didn't think to bring a capsule house, and I wouldn't feel right here anyway."  
Videl nodded as she sat down on one of the two. "This will do fine." She said. "Now tell me, why are we here?"  
Gohan scratched the back of his head for a while, looking puzzled. "There are two answers to that question." He said. "Or rather that question can be two questions, and both can be relevant."  
Videl looked at him stunned.  
"The first way to interpret the question." Gohan continued. "Is to take it to mean, why are we in this place and not somewhere else? The answer to that is two-fold. Firstly we are here because I have a certain attachment to this place, and secondly we are here because this Island though large isn't inhabited, making it the perfect place to talk privately."  
Videl nodded at this. This she could follow.  
"The second way we can interpret the question." Gohan went on. "Is as a more general question, why are we somewhere, with here happening to be the somewhere we are at the time. The answer to that question is that we are here because after what happened yesterday we have to talk."  
  
Is he having second thoughts? Videl wondered. Is that why we're here?  
"Why do we need to talk?" She asked, keeping her question as neutral as possible.  
"For a number of reasons." Gohan answered. "I'll start by telling you a few things, I either know or assume. If my assumptions aren't correct I don't think there will be much to talk about, but I think they will turn out to be correct."  
"Okay, shoot."  
"Okay, first something I know. I know I'm in love with you Videl." Gohan blushed heavily, but managed it without stuttering. "Second something I assume from what you said yesterday, as well as your actions, I assume you're in love with me too." His blush deepened at this point, but he still hadn't started his usual stuttering around such subjects yet.  
"I am." Videl admitted, with a bit of a blush of her own.  
"Well," Gohan said, "that brings us to the third point, I know that you don't know me."  
"What do you mean I don't know you? I think I've gotten to know a lot about you especially since I discovered you are Sayaman."  
"You do know more about me than most other people." Gohan admitted. "But it's just the tip of the iceberg."  
Tip of the iceberg? Videl wondered. If the tip of an iceberg is often only ten percent of the whole, what could he possibly have to say about himself that's a secret nine times bigger than Sayaman?  
  
Okay, I'm about to take the plunch. Gohan thought. There's no going back.  
"I guess for everything to be told right I'd have to tell you a short version of the story of my life." He said. "Short in that it will contain little detail except where needed. But it all starts before that, with a legend that I don't think you've ever heard, the legend of the Dragon Balls."  
Videl shook her head. "No I've never heard of it."  
"That's not surprising." Gohan said. "There are perhaps a few dozen people in the world that know, certainly no more, and that's for a good reason, this legend is real. And it's powerful."  
"You're kidding right."  
"No, I'm not."  
"But how can Dragons be real?"  
"I'll tell you the legend as it was told to me when I was young. Long ago, hundreds if not thousands of years ago now, seven magical Dragon Balls were created and scattered over the earth. Once all seven balls are united the eternal Dragon can be summoned to grant two wishes, there is a limit to the Dragons power, as it is related to the power of his creator, and like wise, if the keeper of the Dragon Balls dies, they will vanish. But they can be passed to another keeper before the old one dies. When I say the Dragon is powerful I mean it, it can grant immortality, can bring back the dead as long as they didn't die of natural causes, though it can't revive the same person twice. Before resent times, in which they have been used more than ever, the dragon balls were not used for hundreds of years at a time, the last time before recent events for example someone became King. But every time a wish has been made the Dragon Balls scatter over the earth again. They are inactive for a year, looking like balls of white stone."  
"What do they normally look like?" Videl asked.  
"I'll show you." Gohan said. Reaching inside his bag and pulling out the four star ball.  
"This is one." He continued. "The number of stars differs with each ball, perhaps it's a way of counting them or keeping track of them, I'm not sure. The four star ball belonged to my great-grandfather, well at least that's what I call him, but we'll get to that later. His name was Gohan too so you could say the ball goes with the name. That's why I went to find it after the last time a wish was made."  
// This has probably been done before, I think I remember reading it somewhere, but it makes sense for Gohan to go find that ball.  
  
Videl nodded, in awe of what she was hearing. This can't be true. She thought to herself. Yet somehow I know it is. He has to be telling the truth, I can almost sense the power in that ball.  
"Well that's it for the Dragon Balls." Gohan said. "Now I have a question to ask you as an introduction to the next part of this talk, what's the first piece of news you remember?"  
Uhm. Videl thought. What a weird question. What could it be, what news did I hear and remember when I was very young?  
"I think," she said, "I remember something about two aliens landing on earth, though the finer point of that whole affair never actually became clear."  
"That's what I was hoping for." Gohan said. "That story starts a year earlier. I was five and a half and was going with my dad to visit some of his friends. During our visit, a stranger showed up, claiming he was my dad's brother, and telling him for the first time about his true origins. My great-grandfather, my dad's grandfather, had always told him that he'd found him in a bed of moss on the mountainside. But that wasn't true. He'd found him in a space pod in an impact crater."  
Videl gasped at a sudden realisation. "You're alien!?" She exclaimed.  
"Half-alien to be precise." Gohan said. "Saiyan to name the race. But just let me keep going for now, and we'll talk about this later. Now my dad had been sent here to destroy the Earth's population, so the planet could be sold. However he'd hit his head as a child and forgotten his orders. My uncle tried to persuade him to rejoin his people by kidnapping me, but in the end he was defeated. Unfortunately that wasn't the end of it."  
Gohan went on to tell her about everything that had happened after that. The arrival of Vegeta and Nappa, though he didn't mention who Vegeta was, and then about the happenings on Namek. After that he briefly touched on the Garlic Junior crisis and then Frieza's counter attack and Trunks warning. He did this all somewhat vague however, not being able to find a good way to explain about his true strength. He would have to before the Cell-games came up, he'd decided that she needed to know the truth about them as well, but he just couldn't think of a way to tell her about it.  
Even with his somewhat vague and quick versions of events he had been talking for hours, with a lunch break, and now the sun was setting. After a moments thought Gohan excused himself and went into the valley to get some firewood.  
  
Videl just sat on the ridge rather stunned after Gohan had jumped down into the valley, announcing that he was going to get them some fire wood, as the sun was about to set. She certainly understood some of his strength better now, being an alien definitely helped, from what he'd told her the Saiyans were a race of warriors. And fighting some of the strongest warriors in the galaxy from the age of six must be a certain way to grow in strength. If you survived.  
She smiled as she remembered lunch where Gohan had eaten in true Saiyan fashion, he'd had a special kind of capsule with him that was rather bulky, and contained a huge self powering refrigerator filled with food. Another of these caspsules was now laying next to his trunk-stool, ready for dinner.  
"Gohan." She said as he came back, his arms full of firewood. "Can I ask you something?"  
"Sure." He replied. "What is it?"  
"Well, if you're half alien, how come you look so normal."  
//She hadn't had a chance to ask this before as he's been doing all the talking.  
"Just luck I suppose." He replied. "Saiyans look a lot like humans, certainly if their tails are removed."  
"Tails?" Videl's eyes about fell out of their sockets.  
"Yeah, rather like a monkey's tale, because of the limited amount of time and the extensive subject matter I didn't tell you about it, but Saiyans have tails when they're born. These tails make the Oozaru transformation possible."  
"Oozaru transformation?" Videl was again lost for words.  
"Under the influence of the full moon a Saiyan who has his tail can turn into a giant ape, about thirty or forty feet tall, that's the main reason mine was removed, without extensive training, you become wild when you transform. The Oozaru is more than ten times stronger than the normal Saiyan, so it's really dangerous, I went Oozaru when I was almost six and I accidentally destroyed a mountain."  
A drop of sweat appeared on the back of Videl's head as she heard her boyfriend talking about destroying mountains as if it were the same as accidentally breaking a plate or a glass at dinner.  
"Anyway." Gohan continued. "The only other real difference is my hair. You can't get it to lie flat without using massive quantities of gel."  
Videl snickered at this.  
"What's so funny?" Gohan asked.  
"Well it's just that I've always been thinking how much gel you must have to use to keep it in those spikes."  
  
At that moment Gohan's Saiyan hearing picked up the sound of a jet-copter coming towards them.  
"Looks like we've got company." He told Videl.  
"What do you mean?" She asked.  
"I hear a jet-copter coming, hold on." Gohan pushed the button on his watch to turn into Sayaman and took to the air, searching for the source of the sound. He didn't have to look long as the copter appeared to be heading for the ridge where he'd left Videl.  
He tried to look to see who was inside but the windows were tinted and not even his Saiyan eyes could see through them.   
Damn you Bulma. He thought. Why did you have to invent super tinted windows? Couldn't you just stick to the ones that Saiyans can see through?  
He raced the jet-copter back and landed next to Videl as it began looking for a place to set down on the ridge.   
After a little while the copter said down, and Gohan just had time to whisper: "Remember call me Sayaman." To Videl before it's door opened and out stepped Hercule Satan himself.  
  
"What are you doing here dad?" Videl asked when she recognised her father. She was hoping that her impatience and annoyance weren't audible in her voice.  
"Videl. You're safe." Hercule ignored her in his usual pompous manner.  
"Why wouldn't I be safe dad? I can take care of myself?"  
"But Videl, why are you here with this runt. They call him a super hero, but I could snap him like a twig. He's too weak to be hanging out with my daughter. You can't..."  
"Dad, give it a rest." Videl said. "I can hang out with whomever I want."  
"But Videl..." he grabbed her arm.  
  
Gohan's Ki had slowly been rising since the previous night, but it had been such a slow process that he hadn't really noticed until now. Because now his Ki was sky rocketing all of a sudden.   
"Great." He mumbled, not realising that he was actually saying it. "I picked a hell of a time to start puberty."  
"Puberty???" A joined cry from Videl and Hercule reached his ears and he suddenly realised he'd said it out loud.  
"Saiyan puberty." He replied. Turning to Videl while trying to ignore her father. "It's an entirely different thing from normal puberty, but I'll live, I think."  
"You think?" Videl asked sounding worried.  
"It's pretty intense, and from what I know about it not altogether positive on all counts, but I don't think we have to worry about it too much. Not yet anyway."  
"What's Saiyan?" Hercule asked, looking stunned at the discussion developing in front of him.  
"That is none of your concern." Gohan said. Feeling his Saiyan pride, and attitude, increase a long with his Ki.  
"Why you..." Hercule started. "You ungrateful little runt. How dare you take that tone with the man who saved the world!"  
"I wouldn't take that tone if you had saved the world." Gohan replied. "And I must say I don't even mind you lying to me, or to the press. But what I can't stand is the fact that you've never even told your own daughter the truth about what happened."  
"What happened is that I killed Cell!" Hercule shouted, but his face betrayed his confusion.  
  
What's going on here? Videl wondered. Why would Gohan be questioning that unless he knows something I don't? But how could that possibly be true? How could it be possible that my dad didn't safe the world? Did something else happen there that no body knows about?  
"Come on Videl we're leaving!" Her dad yelled, grabbing her arm and dragging her towards the jet-copter.  
The ground beneath them started shaking and Videl looked around. She assumed her father did so too as he stopped moving.  
The movement seemed to be originating from Gohan, who as it appeared was slowly being enveloped by a bright golden glow. As if spikes of light were dancing around his body. But what she was seeing had to be more than light, because it was tearing the cloak of his uniform, and a few seconds later his helmet shot up into the air. But from underneath it emerged not the normal Gohan, Videl knew, but the gold fighter. She could still recognise Gohan, but his hair was a shining gold and his eyes were green.  
Suddenly she heard a scream behind her.  
"Ahhhhh." It took a while before she registered the voice as her dad's. "This is just like the Cell-games."  
That exclamation suddenly snapped her back to reality.  
"What's this all about?" She asked, suddenly finding her voice again, while she hadn't been aware that she'd lost it. "What is all this stuff about the Cell-games?" She looked from Gohan, whose facial expression had returned to normal though his hair and eyes still were different than usual, to her dad, who had his mouth wide open in astonishment and sweat streaming down his face.  
"Let's just say that seven years ago I was mistaken for a delivery boy." Gohan stated.  
"Wait a second." Videl said after the moments it took for that remark to register. "You mean you were that little boy who fought Cell at the games?"  
Gohan nodded.  
"Then tell me, what happened?"  
"Mr. Satan." Gohan said. "Will you tell her, or do I have to do it myself?"  
Videl looked back to her father who seemed stunned.  
"Very well." Gohan said with a sigh. "I'll tell you. Like I told you earlier, after he'd defeated Frieza, Mirai Trunks warned us about 2 evil androids. These two androids were the masterpieces of the work of doctor Gero, the former leader of the red ribbon army. The cut a long story short there turned out to be five androids in this timeline. Trunks' presence had changed some things. But there was also another problem starting to unfold. As it turns out we found a way to defeat the androids in another version of this timeline. However after Trunks went back to his time and destroyed the androids there as well a new problem came up. In a secret basement under Dr. Gero's lab a computer had been left working on the most evil of the doctors projects, Cell, a biological android constructed from the cells and DNA of the most powerful fighters around. A special little robot looking like a housefly gathered that DNA, which I'm almost ashamed to admit included my own. In the future Cell was completed. He needed to absorb energy to become stronger, in fact he had the power to absorb entire people and their life energy. But not just normal people, he'd been designed especially to also absorb two of the androids, but as Trunks had destroyed those he had to come here to get them. In his quest to reach completion he stole Trunks' time machine and travelled back to absorb the androids. Due to some sloppiness, some over bearing pride and a hopeless crush on our side, he succeeded in absorbing them, evolving into his perfect self. Then the most powerful warrior the universe had ever known."  
// Before people start complaining, I'm not sure if anything with Buu is going to happen in this AU, but Gohan certainly can't know about him, so Cell was according to his knowledge then the most powerful warrior ever.  
"And you fought him?" Videl asked.  
"Yes, I trained with my dad, especially for that fight, during that training I turned into a Super-Saiyan for the first time. Now before you ask, a Super-Saiyan is a higher form of a Saiyan, but until recently only one Saiyan had ever managed to transform. Super-Saiyan is my current form, there's even a level beyond this, but I don't want to use that now, for several reasons it would be too dangerous. Now the Super-Saiyan form is much stronger than our normal form, and the level 2 Super-Saiyan is a lot stronger still.  
Now I'll have to make one thing clear, Ki, or energy if you will, is something real, and not a trick like your dad insisted back then. Here, I'll prove it to you." He charged up a small ball of Ki in one of his hands and threw it at a nearby mountain, causing said mountain to be reduced to rubble.  
Videl's eyes bugged out at the sight.  
He can destroy mountains that easily? She thought. Well now at least I'm sure he's been holding back in our spars together.  
"Anyway." Gohan said. "To continue with the story, keeping things brief, I defeated Cell in the end. Though I made a mistake at first that cost my dad his life. The first part of the fight however also had the result of causing Cell to regurgitate one of the androids, who has now come over to our side, in fact she's married to a friend of mine. Anyway, that's the truth about the Cell-games in a nutshell."  
Truth is a weird thing. Videl thought, trying to process all the new information that was coming into her system. A weird thing indeed.  
  
/*  
  
Will Videl be able to handle the truth, and what will Hercule have to say for himself. Don't miss the next chapter of Life Is Strange.  
  
Well there it is another chapter you owe mainly to my being ill at least the speed with which I've written it has a lot to do with that.  
I love reviews so please everybody let me know what you think.  
  
*/ 


	6. Close Encounters Of The Weird Kind

/*  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ isn't mine, Gohan is, well in my dreams he is at any rate.  
  
Anything between /* and */ is just me budding in, so is anything after // up until the next hard return.  
For those of you that realised, I'm trying to learn to program in C++ as a hobby, that's the origin of the commentary codes.  
  
*/  
  
/*   
  
Response to reviews.  
  
To Nodles:  
My first somewhat negative review. * Runs around screaming and crying * Don't worry I'm just kidding on the screaming and crying. Gohan telling Videl all that is unfortunately a necessary evil in the story. Chapter 5 certainly wasn't the greatest, but I need Videl to know everything and this was the only good way of doing it. I tried to keep that scene as short as possible but I didn't want to move it entirely off camera either.  
On the Hercule front, I don't like him, and that shows in how I portray his character, also he only becomes nicer after he meets Majin Buu and they become friends. So I think that this angle on his character is actually pretty accurate, just watch the way he's acting during the Sayaman saga. I guess I did make Chi-Chi a bit more reasonable than usual because I moved her right into her "I want grandchildren" mode, but I thought a fic where she isn't to pushy might be nice for a change.  
As far as the hair cut is concerned. If you don't like it, ignore it, for me it's hard to think of Videl as having the long hair, so I decided to put in the hair cut, as the reader you can ignore it, or style it however the hell you like.  
  
To everyone:  
Sorry for taking so long * grovels humbly at your feet * I had some writers block, so I needed to get some things on another story out of the way first. Also I had to do some rewriting on this. Anyway here it is, please review.  
  
*/  
  
Life Is Strange  
  
Saga: Truth  
  
Chapter 6: Close Encounters Of The Weird Kind   
  
/*   
  
Chapter title note:  
For those of you who don't know, a close encounter is an encounter with aliens, there are types of close encounter, the third kind, actually seeing aliens being the most famous, followed by the fourth kind, visiting their ship either voluntarily or after abduction (this used to all fall into the third category in older versions of the system).  
The weird kind of close encounter is when you've discovered that your boy-friend is half alien and he decides to introduce you to his friends, several of whom are aliens.  
  
*/  
  
Videl was woken by sunlight falling on her face the next morning. She groaned, still tired. Gohan had taken her home shortly after all the revelations of last night, and she'd kept up a brave front the whole time. But inside she'd been very shaken up. The truth about one of the things that had the most influence on her life had been completely shaken. Not to mention that, though she knew he'd never hurt her, she was still a little shocked about Gohan blowing up a mountain seemingly without effort.  
After he'd left she'd locked herself in her room. It would take her dad some time to get home, as Gohan had flown her at top speed again, but she didn't want to face him when he got there.  
She remembered looking back at her dad wanting him to explain in someway. But he hadn't said anything even when she asked him he'd just stood there looking scared his mouth wide open sweat running down his face.  
When she'd looked back over at Gohan again, he was looking more relaxed. Soon his hair went black again, as did his eyes.  
In a few seconds he picked up his helmet, which had landed nearby, and put it back on.  
"I'll take you home now Videl." He'd said. Taking her in his arms again and flying her back. The whole journey back had been a fight for her. She'd been fighting herself, not wanting to show him her weakness. She'd been so lost in that struggle that she hardly noticed when he landed on her balcony.   
He'd apologised. He'd lost his temper, and he was sorry. She wasn't sorry, she thought. But she wasn't quite sure.  
The world as she knew it had been changed. The life she'd lived in the spotlights turned out to be nothing more than a lie.  
He'd left after a good-bye kiss. And she'd locked herself in.  
The door was still locked now. Her father had stood outside it for hours last night. Trying to get her to talk to him, but she wouldn't.  
He'd left after a while and she'd finally abandoned the last of her pretence. She'd cried, she'd screamed and she'd sobbed, she'd thrown things around. She'd gone to bed only to toss and turn. She'd gotten up again kicked her punching bag so hard it had split, tossed and turned again, and finally managing to get to sleep around four in the morning.  
Now it was only nine and the sun was waking her. She groaned again. It was way to early for yesterday being such a late night. But she wouldn't get to sleep again, she knew herself well enough to realise that. She could never get back to sleep after waking up. She let out a third groan, followed by a yawn and then forced herself to get out of bed.   
  
An hour later Videl was sitting in the downstairs dining room, having her breakfast. Mary smiled at her and she smiled back. She knew Mary had known her long enough to sense that something was going on, but fortunately the housemaid knew better than to try to question Videl.   
"Do you know how my dad tracked me yesterday?" Videl asked the older woman.  
"I think he said something about using the locator in your watch." Mary replied.  
Damn. Videl thought. The police can use it to keep track of me, but I didn't know that my dad could too. Maybe he's got more brains than I give him credit for. He just needs a reason to get them focused on something other than himself.   
"Any idea as to why he came?" She asked.  
"I'm not sure. I think it had something to do with some promotional things he wanted you to come to, I think it was the launch of his new range of boxing gloves."  
Videl sighed. It was always about him, all the interest he ever showed in her was really about him. Even the one thing that she for a while had loved as well as hated, the way he was over protective about boys, wasn't because he cared for her, and wanted her to have a boy-friend that would in his words 'be able to protect her' but because it wouldn't do for his image if his daughter got involved with someone weak. Well Gohan certainly wasn't weak. But Videl honestly didn't know what to make of their relationship at this point. She'd believed him yesterday, her father hadn't even tried to deny it after coming home. But it still left her faced with a world that had changed greatly from one day to the next. A word in which her father wasn't the strongest man alive, and in which there were suddenly powers that she couldn't even begin to fathom.  
She finished eating and headed out side. She hesitated for a while before getting in her jet-copter, and heading for Gohan's. On the way she switched of the locator circuit in her watch.  
I don't want to face my dad again just yet. She thought to herself. And I certainly don't want him to drop in on us again.  
  
Gohan meanwhile was feeling the full effects of Saiyan puberty. His Ki level had about doubled and he was beginning to notice what Bulma had meant when she said he might weaken himself. Hell forget weaken, his own nearly uncontrollable Ki had already given him a black eye and two bruised ribs. He'd told his mother and brother about everything last night. Including that he had no idea what the situation between him and Videl would be now that he'd told her everything. Goten had said he wanted Videl to be his new sister, while Chi-Chi had started looking for the patterns she needed to knit socks for her grand-children.   
Gohan had told them that he wasn't sure what would happen with him and Videl now. Goten had looked worried at this, and had started saying he really wanted a sister, and Chi-Chi had tried to reassure Gohan that everything would work out.  
He hoped it would. He loved her. But with her world being shaken like this, he had no idea how she would react, and however she did react he couldn't blame her.   
He winced as another bit of his own Ki attacked him, this time striking at his shoulder, leaving it slightly painful.  
Damn this Saiyan puberty. He thought. Wait, is that Videl's jet-copter I hear.  
Slowly, because apparently his left leg too had suffered a self inflicted Ki blast, he walked outside.  
  
Videl heard the door of the Son home open as she recapsulated her jet-copter. She put the capsule in her pocket, and turned to see Gohan standing in the doorframe.   
He doesn't look well. She thought. I wonder what's going on.  
"Hey Gohan." She called out approaching him. "Are you okay?"  
"Within reason." He answered. Giving her a small kiss on the lips. "But you need to keep your distance from me. I can't keep myself in check much longer than this."  
"What do you mean by that?" She asked puzzled, but walking a way a bit all the same.  
"See this black eye?"  
What does that have to do with anything? "Yes."  
"I gave it to myself, my own Ki attacks me, and if you get to close I might not be able to stop it attacking you."  
"So I can take care of myself."  
"You don't fully realise who you're dealing with yet. The force needed to give me a black eye would put you in hospital."  
He's right, I do keep forgetting how different he is from me.  
"If it makes you feel any better I won't even let my mom near me. Just my little brother, and only when he's turned Super."  
"You mean Goten can do the thing with the gold hair too?" Videl asked.  
"Yeah, and that makes him strong enough to take these stray Ki attacks. He's still really young to be able to transform though, I didn't learn myself 'til I was eleven. But I don't think you came her to talk about that."  
"Well actually I did, more or less. It's just that though I do believe what you've told me, I have a hard time dealing with it." Gohan nodded. "And I just need someone to talk to about the whole thing."  
  
That's only natural. Gohan thought. If my world had just been turned upside down I'd want to talk about it to someone as well.  
"The only problem is." Videl continued. "That if I were to discuss it with anyone I know they'd just end up being as shocked as I am."  
Gohan nodded. That's true, I'll have to set her up, but with whom? My mom would just talk about grandchildren. Goten wasn't really around when it happened. Krillin would just make fun of her, for being my girlfriend, and this stuff is way to natural to him, he may not be as strong as any of the Saiyans, but he still is a Z-fighter.  
"I know." He said out loud. "I'll ask Bulma if you can come over to CC and talk about it with her. She knows the truth, and she's more or less a normal person."  
"What do you mean by more or less normal?"  
"Well, most of the people I know that know about what happened are either aliens, or humans that can use their Ki, so a lot of things look normal from the point of view. And Bulma is definitely among the more sensible people I know."  
"I see. I guess I do need someone with a more or less normal perspective to talk to."  
Gohan allowed a small chuckle to escape his lips. "Well Bulma is probably the closest thing we've got. Now why don't you get out your copter again, and head for Capsule Corporation, and I'll get someone to call her and tell her you're coming. I'm afraid I might destroy the phone if I touch it."  
  
This sounds like a good idea. Videl thought, as she threw down the jet-copter's capsule.   
"Anything I need to remember about how to get into Capsule Corporation?"  
"Not really, best thing to do would probably be to go in the normal way for friends, set down by the pond in the back yard, then just knock on the back door. You could go by the main entrance, but I'm so used to going the other way, I don't know the security code by heart anymore."  
"Okay, now do you think you can contain yourself long enough for a little good-bye kiss?"  
"I think so."  
"Okay, we'll risk it." Videl walked up to him, and softly pressed her lips into his. She could feel him trembling with the effort of keeping his Ki in check, so she quickly broke the kiss and walked out of his reach.  
"Good-bye Gohan, I hope this problem ends soon." She called hopping into her copter.  
"Me too Videl, have a good trip."  
  
"Goten!" Gohan yelled as Videl took off. "Get out here and take the phone with you."  
"Coming." Goten's voice chirped out of the house.  
And soon the little man himself appeared holding the portable.  
"Who d'you wanna call Gohan?"  
"I want you to call Bulma." Gohan said. "I'm afraid I'd probably crush the phone if I touched it."  
Gohan smiled at the shocked look on his brother's face. Goten liked the phone almost as much as he liked to eat.  
"Okay." Goten said punching in the number. "What do you want me to tell her?"  
"Tell her, that Videl is the girl I talked to her about. That I told her the truth about the Cell-games. And that she's on her way over because she needs to talk to someone."  
"Okay."  
Thanks to Gohan's Saiyan hearing he could hear the sound coming out of the horn, as well as what his brother was saying.   
"Brief residence."  
"Hi Bulma this is Goten."  
"Hey Goten, you want to talk to Trunks?"  
"No, Gohan wants me to call you."  
"Why doesn't he call me himself?"  
"He said he might crush the phone."  
Gohan saw his little brother shudder with these words.  
"So," Bulma said, "I take it his Saiyan puberty has started."  
"Yep." Goten replied.  
"Well why did he want you to call me?"  
"Uhm, I don't remember. What was it again Gohan?"  
Gohan sighed. His little brother wasn't to good on the memory front. He decided to try another way of doing this.  
"Bulma." He yelled. "Can you hear me?"  
"Yeah Gohan I can hear you." Bulma's voice came from the phone.  
"Good." Gohan yelled back. "Now the situation is as follows. You remember what I told you about a girl in school, when I asked about the Saiyan stuff?"  
"Yeah I remember."  
"Great. Now what I didn't tell you is that the girl in question is Videl."  
"You're kidding me right? Hercule's daughter?"  
"Nope I'm not kidding you. Now yesterday I told her the truth about the Cell-games."  
"My god. How did she take it?"  
"Pretty well I'd say. But she needs someone to talk to about this whole thing."  
"I can dig that."  
"So I decided to send her to you if you don't mind. You're about the most normal person I can think of, mom is pretty normal, but right now she doesn't talk about things other than grandchildren."  
"That sounds like Chi-Chi alright. Anything else I should know about?"  
"Nothing much, I told Videl the best thing to do would be to set down in the back yard. And other than that, I pretty much told her my lives story, from Radditz on, but I haven't told her about Vegeta yet, I thought I should leave it up to you, if you want other people to know about that. I'm sure she'd keep it to herself, but I didn't feel it was my place to decide."  
"I'll tell her if it's relevant. Besides his royal-highness is more than likely to tell her himself."  
"Okay, thanks Bulma, talk to her."  
"Don't worry, I'll do some talking and try to get all the juicy details."  
"BULMA!!"  
"Relax Gohan, I'm just kidding."  
"Okay. Bye."  
"Bye Gohan."  
  
Where did he get this ability to just keep surprising me? She wondered knowing it was not a realistic question. After all, all these surprises were just part of who he was, it wasn't some special ability just a rather extraordinary live.  
She could remember him saying it. "I don't know the security code by heart anymore." The guy talked about the security code to the headquarters of the largest company in the world, and the holder of the worlds most valuable patents as if it were a matter of 'I can't find the neighbours spare key right now.'  
I wonder what Bulma's really like? She wondered on. We did exchange a bit of chitchat over lunch, but now I'm actually heading for her house. And talking about the truth about the Cell-games, not to mention the my boyfriend is an alien matter, is quite different from an exchange of polite little nothings over lunch.  
After that she just concentrated on flying for a while, heading for the Western Capitol. Soon the big yellow dome of CC headquarters came into view, and she flew towards it, setting down on the lawn behind it next to the pond. She got out, recapsulated it and walked to the door.  
She smiled a little as she touched the capsule in her pocket and realised that she was literally bringing capsules to Capsule Corp.  
She knocked on the door and immediately it was opened by Bulma herself.  
"Hi Videl, come on in."  
"Hi Bulma."  
"So you're the one who got Gohan into his present predicament."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Didn't he tell you, Saiyan puberty is sparked by love, well it can be sparked by age as well, but not at his age?"  
"In that case I plead guilty." Videl said with a smile. "And I'm glad I'm not Saiyan, or I would be going through puberty as well."  
"So you definitely love him then." Bulma squealed happily.  
"Yeah." Videl whispered looking around. They were sitting at the kitchen table and it seemed that Bulma had ordered her husband and son to stay away because neither was here at the moment.  
"Well you'll probably have an easier time with Gohan than I had with Vegeta." Bulma said. "Saiyan's can be a mighty stubborn race, but his mother has raised him well."  
"Vegeta is Saiyan?" Videl asked, surprised.  
"Yes." Bulma replied. "The prince of Saiyans and the only pureblood left alive."  
"Wait a second." Videl said. "If he's a full Saiyan then he must be one of those guys that came to earth when Gohan and I were little."  
"Yeah, not exactly part of his life to be proud of, but I've learned to live with it."  
"I can understand that. But if he's Saiyan he must have been at the Cell-games as well."  
"Yes, it's one of the reasons he hates your dad, you must have noticed the tone in his voice at lunch the other day, when he referred to you as 'his offspring'. He has a hard time with it himself. The eleven-year-old demi-Saiyan son of a third class warrior surpassed him, but he also has a hard time with anyone touching anything Saiyan, including Gohan's victory. You could call it his national pride."  
"This whole Cell-games business is still very confusing to me." Videl said. "I understand that Gohan defeated Cell, but all these weird things with Ki. I mean I saw him blow up a mountain without breaking a sweat. What sort of people are we dealing with here?"  
"Saiyans." Bulma simply stated. "Super-Saiyans to be precise, but that's hardly needed to blow up mountains. From what he tells me, Vegeta could blow up planets when he first came to Earth, and he was over a thousand times weaker then than he is now."  
So it doesn't stop at mountains. Videl thought.  
"So tell me how do you deal with it?" She asked.  
"You don't." Bulma replied. "You just get used to it. Even Krillin, who is probably the strongest human being currently alive, could blow up the planet without any effort. And the list doesn't stop there, all things considered there's probably at least a dozen people on this planet that could blow it up."  
Just then Vegeta stomped into the room.  
"Woman. The gravity room is broken again. Fix it."  
"Don't get your spandex in a twist Vegeta, I'm talking to Videl. If you broke the GR again, you're just going to have to do without it until I have the time."  
"Hmph." Vegeta said, and he stomped out again. Videl just sat there with her eyes wide. This Guy could destroy planets and yet Bulma talked to him like she was in charge.  
"How do you do that?" She asked. "Talk to someone as strong as that so naturally?"  
"It just is natural I suppose." Bulma said. "The first time we really talked he called me servant woman, and it's been like a war zone between us since, but underneath it all I know he loves me. And he could never hurt me. I just use that as my weapon."  
Videl nodded, this sort of made sense. After all, Gohan couldn't hurt her, not on purpose anyway.  
The two of them talked on for hours. About the Cell-games, about all the other things in recent years that the public knew little or nothing about. About Saiyans and their habits. And about Gohan.   
  
Most of Videl's time the next few days were spend in trying to evade her father. When they did meet it usually lead to a fight of some sort, so the effort was more or less mutual. While Videl agreed, not so much with her father as with Bulma, that the truth about the Cell-games shouldn't come out, not yet anyway, it didn't stop her from questioning her dad every time he started on the subject of his own greatness.  
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday passed like this. But on Thursday morning she was startled by a knock on her balcony door. She opened the curtains to see Gohan standing there in his Sayaman costume.  
"Hey Videl, can I come in?"  
"Sure Gohan." She replied opening the door. "I just hope nobody saw you, or my love affair with Sayaman will be all over the papers tomorrow."  
"Well are you having a love affair with Sayaman?"  
"Maybe." She said closing the curtains again.  
"Just maybe huh?"  
"Well," she put her arms around his neck, "I guess you could say I am." She softly kissed him on the lips. "But," she continued after breaking the kiss, "I guess I'd rather have an affair with the man behind the mask." She kissed him again and during the kiss pushed the button to turn him back into Gohan.  
After a while they broke their kiss and moved apart.  
"I take it your little bout of puberty is over." Videl said.  
"Just about." Gohan replied. "My Ki is still a little stronger than usual, but that may be a permanent change. Or its just do to the recovery, Saiyans get stronger whenever they are injured but not killed."  
"So how did you recover? I was half expecting you to still have a black eye or something."  
"Well there are these things, they're called senzu beans. They're really hard to grow, I think Korrin is the only one that knows how to, though that doesn't really matter. What does matter is that they can heal any injury instantly. So I took one this morning. They're quite rare though so you can't just take them for a simple headache, but after my puberty experience I was pretty bruised."  
"I can understand that, just one thing, who's this Korrin?"  
"A friend. I'll introduce you to him some time."  
"Okay. Now what were you planning on doing today?"  
"I don't have any plans yet to be honest. As soon as the self inflicted Ki attacks stopped last night I just wanted to come see you."  
"How about we go on a picnic?" Videl asked.  
"Sure. I think I've got a fridge-capsule with me, so that takes care of the food. Do you have anything we could use for the cloth?"  
"Hmm, change into Sayaman for a moment?"  
"What?"  
"I'm going to need someone's help but I can't explain how you came in by way of my balcony, Sayaman I can explain."  
Gohan nodded as he transformed.   
"Mary!" Videl called.  
"Yes miss Videl." A few moments later the housemaid entered the room.  
"Mary, I'm going on a picnic, could you get me something we could use to set things down on?"  
"I think I could probably find something, but who are you going with?" Then she noticed Sayaman. "What's he doing here? How'd he get in?"  
"Oh, he came in through the balcony door."  
"What?"  
"Well if you could fly and wanted to get to me quick what door would you knock on?"  
"Good point. Are you going with him?"  
"Yes."  
"Well then you could just use his cape couldn't you. But I'll see if I can get you an old tablecloth."  
Mary disappeared again, and a few minutes later she came back with an old red and white blocked tablecloth.  
"Here, have fun."  
After Mary had left Gohan extended his arms and Videl jumped into them.   
"Let's go." She whispered into his ear.  
He had to walk for a few paces, to get out the door, but then he took off. Videl shivered slightly with joy and cold at feeling of the air rushing past her before Gohan extended his Ki to fully surround her.  
  
Gohan felt Videl relax into his arms as they flew over the countryside.  
Dende I love her. He thought to himself. And she loves me, but God only knows what will happen when she meets my friends.  
I can just see the introductions now: 'Videl, this is Dende, he's the God of Earth. This is Piccolo, he blew up the moon.' That would sure get her to relax. He thought ironically. Let's just cross that bridge when we come to it. His mind continued. Today let's just enjoy some time alone with Videl.  
After flying for a few more minutes Gohan landed in a clearing in the woods. There didn't seem to be any trails so the woods might be untouched. Videl spread out the tablecloth on the ground as Gohan searched his pockets until he found the fridge-capsule he had on him. These capsules were rather bulky, compared to the standard model, as they capsulated anything put into the refrigerator as well. He tried never to travel without one and indeed found one. Soon there was a refrigerator standing on the grass beside them, and he moved to get the food out of it and onto the tablecloth on the ground.  
  
Videl sat watching in amazement as Gohan started to eat. He didn't hold back anymore nowadays, and even though she knew the full truth about him now she was still stunned by the way he was eating.  
It must have something to do with the Saiyans being a warrior race. She thought to herself. Having to eat between battles and not wanting to be caught of guard must have slipped into their DNA.  
Slowly, at a snail's pace compared to Gohan, Videl started eating herself. After about thirty minutes Videl slowed to taking small bites. So did Gohan who had apparently managed to put a somewhat sizeable dent in his rather large appetite.  
As they were just approaching the moment where they'd start talking again, Videl's cell-phone rang.  
Great, probably another criminal to interrupt lunch. She thought to herself.  
"Videl." She answered the phone.  
"Hey Videl, Bulma here." The response came.  
Bulma? Why is she calling?  
"Hey Bulma. What's up?"  
"Well, Chi-Chi told Goten who told Trunks who let something slip while he was training with Vegeta, who told me, because he wanted me to fix the GR and needed to suck up, that Gohan's Saiyan puberty was over. Do you know if that's right, because Gohan isn't home."  
"Yeah it's right." Videl said. "He's here having a picnic with me."  
"Oh good. Then I can invite you both at the same time. I want to throw a party tonight to celebrate Gohan being back to normal, so if you guys would come, there'd actually be a reason to throw it."  
"Well I'll talk about it with Gohan, hold on for a moment."  
She covered the phone with her hand.  
"What do you think Gohan, should we go?"  
"I don't see why not, but there'll probably be a lot of my friends there and well, some of them are a bit odd."  
Gee, he's an alien, what does he think, that I expect all his friends to be average people?  
"Don't worry about that. I'm not expecting an average group. I'll live. In fact I'd like to meet your friends."  
"Well in that case tell Bulma we'll be there around eight if that's okay with her. Oh and ask her if Piccolo and Dende are on the guest list."  
Videl repeated the time and the question into her phone.  
She nodded at Bulma's reply and politely ended the conversation. Before turning to Gohan again.  
"She said they'd both be invited, though she isn't sure that Dende will be able to get away."  
"He'll be there." Gohan said. "He's probably dieing of curiosity anyway. Besides Popo can take over for a few hours."  
"So what are we going to do for the rest of the afternoon?"  
"I don't know, I guess I could take you up to see Korrin, he definitely won't be at the party even if he is invited, he never leaves his tower."  
"Sounds like an unusual."  
"That's an understatement."  
"Why?"  
"You'll see."  
  
A few minutes later Gohan was enjoying the sensation of Videl being in his arms again as he flew towards Korrin's Tower, for a moment he contemplated whether he should fly on to the lookout since he was so close, but it would probably be better for Videl not to get to see that until after she'd met some of it's occupants at the party.  
As he landed and set down Videl, Yajirobi came out to greet them. In his usual rather annoying way.  
"Hey Gohan. Is there some crisis on Earth or something? That you need my help with."  
Gohan looked at him, he had rather little tolerance for Yajirobi in spite of the one time in his life the fat warrior had been brave and had cut of Oozaru Vegeta's tale.  
"Trust me Yajirobi." Gohan said trying to remain polite. "There is no chance of any crisis on Earth that I need your help with happening within the next couple of millennia."  
"Of course there isn't." Korrin's voice came. "Besides Yajirobi, can't you tell he's just here to introduce me to his girlfriend."  
Shit. Gohan thought. I forgot he can read minds.  
"Well you shouldn't be so careless then." Korrin replied to the thought.  
"Why are you talking to a cat Gohan?" Videl asked. "And how come he's talking back?"  
"Videl this is Korrin. He may be a white cat but he's very intelligent, also be careful what you think cause he can read minds."  
  
A cat? Videl wondered. The guy that grows the senzu beans is a cat?  
"Well of course I'm a cat." Korrin replied. "Do you know any human that can grow senzus?"  
"Uh, no."  
"Of course you don't, that's because there aren't any. Besides I know more about what's happening on Earth than almost everyone save Dende."  
"Gohan mentioned him before what's he got to do with it?"  
"I'm not going to tell you, your boyfriend doesn't want me too. He seems to think it's better that you wait until the party tonight."  
She shot a look at Gohan who was blushing. It seems that he isn't used to having his mind read either.  
"No he isn't." Korrin said. "He doesn't drop by anywhere near enough."  
They stayed at Korrin's for a while longer, and Korrin explained the working of senzu beans to Videl in a bit more detail. After a while Gohan checked his watch and said that it was time to get going.   
  
Gohan flew slowly towards Capsule Corporation and Videl wondered why.  
"Gohan?"  
"Yes."  
"Why are we going slow? I know you can go a lot faster."  
"Oh I could, but not everyone else is there yet."  
"How do you know that?"  
"Well one of the things people that can use their Ki are usually capable of is sensing other peoples Ki if it's strong enough. So I can tell that my little brother is there already, which means my mom must be there also. Krillin also seems to be there with his family, Yamcha is there too, but Tien, Chaozu, Dende and Piccolo are still on their way."  
"So you're waiting for them?"  
"Yeah, I thought it would be easier for you to face the whole gang at once."  
"Why are you making this sound like something dangerous?"  
"Oh they wouldn't hurt you, they'd have to deal with me then, and lord knows even Vegeta doesn't like that thought, but I am a bit worried about how much sanity you'll have left after an evening with them."  
"That bad huh?"  
"Well they are rather different than most people, you'll see."  
About fifteen minutes later they landed at Capsule Corporation. Gohan knocked on the back door and Bulma was immediately there to let them in.  
"Hi Gohan. Hi Videl." She greeted as she opened the door. "The others are all here already, but I'm sure Gohan already knew that."  
Gohan nodded.  
"So when do I get to meet everyone." Videl asked, feeling rather curious about Gohan's friends.  
"I'll introduce you to everyone." Bulma said. "Then Gohan can go help Trunks, Goten and Vegeta plunder the buffet before those three eat it all."  
Videl looked over at Gohan who was looking at her pleadingly. She understood that look well, he'd stay at her side if she wanted him too, but she could hear his Saiyan stomach growling for food. She gave him a small nod and he ran off, seemingly following his nose.  
Videl herself meanwhile was being lead inside by Bulma, through the kitchen they soon reached the living room where the party was taking place.  
Bulma immediately started walking around the room with Videl in tow, dragging her from one person to another.  
First on the list was a guy with some scars on his face called Yamcha.  
"Videl this is Yamcha, Yamcha this is Videl." Bulma introduced them.  
"So we've lost another girl to the Saiyans." Yamcha stated.  
"What do you mean by that." Videl asked.  
"Well way back when Bulma and I used to be together, but then Vegeta came along and the rest as they say is history." Yamcha said, sounding rather bitter.  
"Come on Yamcha don't be so gloomy."  
To Videl's utter surprise the words came from a man who had just walked up behind Yamcha, while that in itself wasn't surprising the fact that he had three eyes was.  
"Hello, I'm Tien. And this is Chaozu." He said indicating a small man, who was white with red cheeks that was floating next to him.  
"Videl." She barely managed to say. "So what do all of you guys do?"  
"When I gave up fighting I went back to playing baseball." Yamcha said. "It's a way to get food on the table."  
"I still spend most of my time training." Tien said. "I'm Chaozu's chief body-guard so I need to be able to protect him."  
"I help him train and I govern my empire." Chaozu said. "Though it's a rather small empire I'm still the emperor."  
Videl was stunned by their explanations. I guess Yamcha did look familiar, but I've never been much of a baseball fan, as for the other two, I have no idea what to make of them.  
"Come on Videl." Bulma said. "I'll introduce you to the rest of the group."  
They walked on to one of the sofa's, which was occupied by a short man with messy black hair, a tall slim blond woman, and little blond girl that was sitting in the woman's lap.  
"Videl, this is Krillin, his wife Eighteen, and their daughter Marron. Guys, this is Videl."  
"I think Gohan mentioned you to me once." Videl said to Krillin.  
"I should hope so." He replied. "I was his dad's closest friend. And he and I have been through a bit together. I'm sure he's told you about our adventures on Namek."  
"He did tell me about that yes." She turned to Eighteen. "I hope I'm not being rude or anything, but why do you have a number for a name?"  
"I'm an android, I was designed to terrorise the world, but I've decided not to, my creator Dr. Gero, didn't bother giving us names, he just numbered us."  
"If you're an android, how did you have a daughter?"  
"She started out as a human being." Krillin said. "Dr. Gero turned her into an android, but a lot of her physiology is still human, enough of it to make reproduction possible."  
Videl nodded, she felt as though her sense of normality had gone numb, it all just seemed usual around these people, mountains being blown up, tiny emperors with three eyed body guards and androids designed to terrorise living happily ever after.  
"Well who are you lovely." A voice from behind her called out. "I'm Roshi the turtle hermit." She turned around to see a little old man standing there.  
"I'm Videl." She replied.  
"If he goes to far just hit him, everybody does." Bulma whispered in her ear.  
"So are you single." The old man asked.  
"No I'm here with Gohan."  
"Too bad, but that boy is one guy I don't want to mess with, I'll go see if I can't find some chick around town." Roshi said, disappearing out the door.  
"That was polite for Roshi." Bulma remarked. "Now there's two people in particular you should meet." She led Videl over to a corner of the room.  
"This is Piccolo, and this is Dende." She introduced. "Their good friends of Gohan's I'm sure you'll have a lot to talk about."  
"Uhm, is this just me or are you guys green?" Videl asked.   
Piccolo snorted but Dende smiled.  
"No it's not you, we're Nameks."  
Boy, talk about close encounters, Videl thought.  
"So why are you here on earth, Gohan told me your people relocated to a new planet."  
"Well Piccolo still thinks of Earth as his home." Dende said. "Though he's given up trying to rule it. As for me, they asked me to be God of Earth when Piccolo fused with my predecessor."  
"Fused with? God of Earth?" Videl was so stunned she could barely get the phrases out.  
"Of course, you wouldn't know." Dende said. "Nameks can fuse with one and other. The whole is much stronger than two are before the fusion. My predecessor was a Namek as well, actually, he'd split himself into two, separating his evil side which became Piccolo long ago, and once they fused that couldn't be repeated. Anyway, when me predecessor disappeared, because of the fusion the earths Dragon Balls lost their power. So they wanted a new Namek as God or guardian of Earth so he could create new Dragon Balls. This was shortly before the Cell-games and they wouldn't have been able to bring back the people Cell had killed otherwise."  
Okay, Videl thought to herself, my sense of weirdness isn't completely numb yet. But I suppose it's like Bulma said, you just get used to this type of thing.  
"So what does a God do?" She asked.  
"Well mostly I keep a watch on what's happening on Earth, and when things really go wrong I have to try to make them right again. I don't do too much fighting, I would if I had too, but I'm more a healer, and Piccolo and the other's are a lot stronger than me anyway. I just coordinate, or try to, when things get out of hand."  
"So if you're here now who's watching Earth?"  
"My assistant mister Popo is doing that. And Korrin always keeps an eye out even when I'm home, so there's nothing to worry about."  
Videl looked over at Piccolo. He was just standing there, quietly leaning against the wall, looking at her occasionally and at Gohan most of the time.  
"He's not much for talking is he?" She whispered in Dende's ear, and she could have sworn he blushed a somewhat brighter green.  
"I've never been what you'd call a people person." Piccolo replied. "I listen more than I talk, and these ears hear a lot, they don't just line my face, my hearing is even better than a Saiyan's. Besides, Gohan was the first friend I ever had, and even that I didn't really want, but the little guy grew on me. I guess with Dende and Popo I have three friends now, but the latter two I inherited. Dende was Nail's little brother. Nail is someone I fused with on Namek. And Popo was Kami's friend, Kami was Dende's predecessor."  
Boy does this guy need a course in social behaviour. Videl thought. But I guess if you only have three friends, and don't talk to anyone else that's to be expected.  
She continued to walk around the room talking with various people for a while, but mostly hung around Dende, where Gohan later joined her. She could see that Gohan was very close to Dende, as well as to Piccolo, and while Piccolo seemed somewhat distant, she too had found a friend in Dende.  
Finally at eleven in the evening Gohan dropped her off on her balcony. They had a quick goodbye kiss, before he took off again, heading home.  
Well it's certainly been another interesting day. Videl thought thinking back to the party. With some weird close encounters, I can't wait what the rest of the summer will bring.  
  
/*  
  
Next time on Life is Strange, are those bells we hear? And will this mean the return of Son Goku? Do new adventures await our heroes?  
  
Well that was a long chapter, even for me. It also took a long time to write, but I had to write three versions of the last part of the chapter before I liked it. As you can tell from the next time on, I'm thinking of an engagement being for the next chapter, but I still have a lot of things I'm not sure of, will Hercule object to the wedding? Will the truth about Gohan, and the Cell-games become more widely known. Will there be some villain they have to get passed in their quest to use the Namekian Dragon Balls to revive Goku. How will they get to New Namek, I have several ideas on the last point, but haven't decided yet.  
Anyway I'd love to hear from you. Any suggestions are welcome, though in the end I'm the one doing the writing, so whether they're used or not is my prerogative.  
  
*/ 


	7. Surprising Friends

/*  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ isn't mine, Gohan is, well in my dreams he is at any rate.  
  
Anything between /* and */ is just me budding in, so is anything after // up until the next hard return.  
For those of you that realised, I'm trying to learn to program in C++ as a hobby, that's the origin of the commentary codes.  
  
*/  
  
/*  
Advertising:   
Trusting - By Exarikun  
Just returning the favour.  
*/  
  
/*   
  
Response to reviews:  
  
To edward-tivrusky-5:  
  
I'm still thinking about the tournament and the Buu saga, I'm thinking of doing my own versions of both, to make them fit in with the story. As far as the bells are concerned, read this chapter, there are some bells in it, as well as the possibility for more bells.  
  
To Nemi:  
I can imagine how you must have felt, I once read J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings in sixteen hours straight, not to much of a problem except I started at four in the afternoon, not much sleep that night. I also once spend sixty hours playing Star Trek Voyager Elite Force in three days, only four hours sleep each night.  
  
To Lady Queen:  
Yes I hate rewrites, but sometimes they're needed, nothing but the best for my readers after all.  
  
To Nagini:  
On your suggestions, possibly, on the MORE MORE MORE!: here it is.  
  
To Byron:  
No villains yet in this chapter, but I'll consider Barney for the upcoming ones. As for the introduction I want to keep giving Videl small shocks for a while. * Evil Grin *.  
  
To Kodra:  
There is some awkward paragraphing going on yes, but it has a purpose. From your comment I take it you didn't notice, and perhaps I should have mentioned this before. I try not to change in mid-conversation to often, however sometimes I have no choice. This story is told from two points of view, Gohan's and Videl's, every time I switch over I change the paragraph. Sometimes for whatever reason this happens in the middle of conversation. I try not to but it can't be helped in places. You'll only ever see the thoughts of the person whose point of view I'm using, and perhaps some indication of what the others seem to be thinking given by their words, tone or expression. But never do two people think in the same paragraph, and the only two people whose thoughts we get at all are Gohan and Videl.  
Thanks for the compliment on my Caliber.  
  
To Nodles:  
Don't be too hard on yourself, I'll live. Sorry about your fic being erased by a Virus, keep writing though, you might try keeping a back up on a floppy disk if you're worried about more virus trouble.  
Don't worry about me quitting, I have no intentions of doing that.  
  
*/  
  
Life Is Strange  
  
Saga: Truth   
  
Chapter 7: Surprising Friends  
  
The next morning Videl found that the delayed shock she'd been expecting didn't come. Things had just become facts in her life. Much like seven years ago her dad becoming famous because of the Cell-games had just been a fact. She hadn't liked it but she'd known she had to accept it as such.  
In a similar way, though her likes and dislikes seemed to be more removed she was now just taking the truth about the Cell-games and all the other things she'd discovered last night for facts. Gohan it seemed was the same person regardless of what she knew. He hadn't been any different last night than a week ago. He was just Gohan, but she was slowly beginning to understand what being just Gohan meant a bit better.  
She picked up the phone by the side of her bed. She pushed the buttons, forming a phone number and soon heard the phone at the other hand ringing.  
"Bulma Brief." The business like introduction came from the other side.  
"Hi Bulma, this is Videl."  
"Oh hey Videl how are you?"  
"I'm fine just wanted to thank you again for inviting me to the party last night, and I wanted to ask if you needed any help cleaning things up."  
"No I'm fine. I had the whole thing catered."  
"How do you get a party with four Saiyans catered for, I've seen what they eat."  
"Oh it's simple, you call a couple of catering companies and tell them you need dinner and snacks for six hundred people catered as a buffet. At first they're shocked and think you're crazy, then you tell them you own Capsule Corporation, and they suddenly don't think anything odd anymore."  
"I see, money talks."  
"Oh yeah, I think it's even more persuasive than Vegeta, and that's saying a lot, he's been known to attempt to kill people in line in front of him when I sent him shopping. Of course he didn't really kill them, he knows I won't stand for that, but he did injure a few, in the end I had to make him get some senzu beans for them."  
I really am getting used to the craziest things. Videl thought. I'm listening to a mix of shopping and attempted murder and it doesn't even phase me.  
"Say Bulma." She asked. "When did you get used to all this, I'm just beginning to notice in myself that things don't seem to have any effect on me anymore."  
"I can't say actually." Bulma replied. "I met Goku when I was about eighteen, since then I guess things have gotten ever weirder and I've grown used to it step by step. You could say that meeting Oolong was really the first step."  
"Oolong?"  
"He's a friend, more or less, but we didn't invite him yesterday, we wanted to limit the list to people who at least appear more or less human, he's a pig and a shape-shifter."  
"Shape-shifter?"  
"Yeah, I know two people, or rather creatures that can change their shape, Oolong is one and Puar is the other. It comes in handy sometimes. Puar and Yamcha go way back, and Oolong sort of joined us along the way."  
"I see."  
"Well if you don't mind I have to go now, I have two Saiyans to feed."  
"Of course I don't mind. Bye Bulma."  
"Bye Videl, thanks for calling."  
  
Damn. Her line's busy. Gohan thought as he tried to call Videl. Hmm, maybe I should call Sharpner and Erasa, see if we could go to the movies together. Double date as it were. But I really should clear it with Videl before hand I don't know how she feels about Sharpner and Erasa knowing about us just yet.  
He tried her number again and this time she answered immediately. Setting up her private line so it didn't go through Jeffrey had definitely been a good idea.  
"Videl Satan." Her introduction sounded so nice, even if it was just to the point.  
"Hey Videl, guess who?"  
"Gohan." Her voice became very enthusiastic. "So why are you calling, did you have something in mind for today?"  
"Well I was thinking it might be nice to give Sharpner and Erasa a call, see if the four of us could go the movies later. And then maybe dinner?"  
"Sounds nice, you're obviously thinking double date here."  
"Yeah, I thought it might be a nice way to let them know."  
"So what's playing at the movies?"  
"I think it's something called "When The Aliens Came" about some alien attack on earth with a love story on the side or something. Sounds like something we might get Erasa to come to without it being a total chick-flick."  
"Hmm. You might be right on that. Good tactical thinking young warrior."  
"Why thank you great general Videl."  
Gohan smiled as Videl giggled into the phone.  
"Shall I come, over there so we can call them together?" He asked.  
"Yeah but take your time, I still have to get dressed and even then it's going to take a while before we can call them, they're not exactly morning people."  
"Okay, I'll see you in about thirty minutes."  
"See you then."  
  
It's as if I'm turning into a girl. Videl thought as she entered the shower contemplating what clothes she should wear. I wouldn't give what to wear a second thought a few weeks ago, just the usual shorts and T-shirt, but now I'm trying to impress Gohan. Damn him for awakening my feminine side.  
About 20 minutes, and considerations around at least five possible out fits later she left the shower and headed for her closet. She'd finally decided on a pair of blue jeans and a green T-shirt and proceeded to dress accordingly.  
Just as she finished getting dressed and combing her hair a knock on the balcony door signalled the arrival of Gohan.  
After all. She thought to herself. Who else do I know that knocks on my balcony door, considering it's the only normal way onto my balcony.  
"It's open." She called.  
He came in, transforming into himself, and greeted her with a small kiss on the lips and the words "Hi Videl, you look nice."  
"Hey Gohan." She responded returning the token of affection.  
"So can we call Sharpner and Erasa that, or is it still to early?"  
"I guess we could call them now, keep them on their toes."  
"Will you do the honours?"  
"Why not."  
She dialled Erasa's number and was soon greeted by Erasa's voice on the line.  
"Hey this is Erasa."  
"Hey Videl here."  
"Oh, hey girl what's happening?"  
"Well I was wondering if you and Sharpner would like to go to the movies with me and Gohan tonight."  
"I'll have to ask Sharpner, hang on a minute."  
Videl heard some muttering in the background and then Erasa's voice returned to the line.  
"Sure we'll come. What movie are we going to see?"  
"Gohan picked, it's called "When The Aliens Came". It's mostly action but with some love in the sideline. So it should be nice for all of us."  
"Okay, what time does it start?"  
Videl looked over to Gohan and was about to repeat the question when he answered it of his own accord.  
"It starts at seven, so we should be there no later than six forty-five. But if we want to go to dinner before hand, we should probably meet at a restaurant at, say, five thirty."  
Videl nodded and repeated the message into the horn.  
"Okay." Came Erasa's reply. "We'll meet you at five thirty, what restaurant." Videl looked to Gohan and on the other end she could hear Erasa and Sharpner muttering again. After some discussion on both ends of the conversation, a restaurant was agreed upon. And the conversation came to a close.  
  
Videl and Gohan had a rather busy day together. Not long after they'd set up the appointment with Erasa and Sharpner, Videl's watch had beeped and much of the rest of their day was spend fighting criminals. It had been quiet for a couple of days and the crooks of Satan city seemed to be back with a vengeance.  
Even though she now knew she was no match for Gohan or Sayaman, in whatever form he appeared, Videl insisted on doing her bit in the battle and so they dispensed with the criminals together.  
Finally Videl went home for a shower around five o'clock and Gohan flew around town for a while, waiting to pick her up again at twenty past. He made a brief stop at a flower shop, buying some roses for Videl and then made his way back to her house.  
The balcony door was open as he approached and inside the sight of Videl brushing her hair greeted him.  
"Hi, these are for you." He said handing her the roses.  
He noticed a faint blush on her cheeks and smiled, Videl was definitely changing at least in some ways, for the most part she was still the same Videl and he wouldn't have it any other way.  
"Thanks." She mumbled.  
"Shall I fly you to our date milady." He asked, with a fake air of old fashion chivalry in his voice.  
"You may." She answered.  
He lifted her into his arms and walked onto the balcony, closing the door behind them before taking off towards the restaurant.  
  
When they arrived at the restaurant Gohan circled for a while. There was something he had to ask Videl before landing.  
"Videl?"  
"What is it Gohan? Why aren't we landing?"  
"There something I need to talk to you about real quick."  
"Well what is it?"  
"I don't want to tell Sharpner and Erasa about me being Sayaman, not yet anyway. So I'd like to ask you to keep what you know hidden, at least for the time being."  
"No problem Gohan, just try to find someplace to transform where they won't see you."  
Gohan nodded and set down in an alley. He looked both ways and shielded himself from view behind Videl, before transforming.  
"Let's go." He said offering Videl his arm.  
She took his arm with a smile and the two of them walked towards the restaurant.  
  
Videl looked around as they left the alley and walked onto the square in front of the restaurant. It took a while, but she spotted Sharpner and Erasa and steered Gohan over to them. After a brief exchange of hellos the three of them entered the restaurant.   
Inside they were guided to their table, and a waiter came to give them the menus and ask what they wanted to drink. A few moments were spend on deciding what they wanted to eat. And soon the waiter returned with their drinks, and they were ready to order. After they'd placed their orders and the waiter left and the conversation really got started.  
"So tell me." Erasa asked Videl. "You're here with Gohan, are you two...?"  
"Yes we're together." Videl said, smiling at the look of shock that passed over Erasa and Sharpner's faces.  
"Well congratulations," Erasa said, still looking stunned, "but I must say it's a bit of a surprise. You've always been so distant toward boys."  
"Yeah congratulations." Sharpner seconded her. "We've got a little surprise of our own for you two, but that will come later."  
"Hmm." Videl said. "You're making me awfully curious."  
"Well we'll tell you later." Erasa said. "Let's go powder our noses now."  
Videl looked at her friend strangely, but realised it was an opportunity to talk to Erasa alone, and maybe find out what all the secretive stuff was about, so she nodded and followed her friend.  
  
Sharpner leaned closer to Gohan when the girls had left.  
"So how did you and Videl get together?" He whispered.  
Gohan could feel himself blush and scratched the back of his head. "That's a rather personal question Sharpner." He whispered back.  
"Common man you can tell me. What do you think Erasa is questioning Videl about in the ladies room?"  
"Well." Gohan said, trying desperately to remain diplomatic. "I suppose we just found that we liked each other more than we'd previously realised."  
"In other words you kissed her." Sharpner said.  
Gohan felt his blush deepen and just scratched the back of his head again.  
"The same thing happened between me and Erasa." Sharpner continued. "All of a sudden we just found ourselves kissing each other."  
Gohan nodded slightly during his scratching efforts.  
  
A similar conversation was happening at the same time in the ladies room where Videl stood watching as Erasa touched up her make up. Despite the fact that she was paying more attention to her clothes, Videl's feminine side had not yet gotten to the point where she wore make up.  
"So tell me." Erasa said while applying some eye shadow. "How did you and Gohan get together?"  
"I don't know if I should tell you." Videl said.  
"Come on girl, if you can't tell me who can you tell?"  
"Nobody I guess."  
"Exactly and do you really want to just keep it to yourself for the rest of your life?"  
"I guess not."  
"So tell me."  
"You're not going to drop this unless I do are you."  
"Nope I'm not."  
"Oh very well then. I guess it all just happened. Gohan invited me to spar on the first Sunday of the holidays. Well we had quite a spar, it was like the one we had in front of you and Sharpner at the house, only longer, neither of us gave the other any ground.  
So after a few hours of this we needed to rest, well I certainly did anyway, so we sat down on a rock. Then I guess I sort of leaned over toward Gohan, and he leaned over toward me, and the next minute our lips were pressed against each other and we were kissing like there was no tomorrow."  
"Sounds like a weird way to start a romance, fighting each other."  
"Well I guess it isn't exactly the most common way to get started, but it worked for us. But now it's your turn, spill it. What are you and Sharpner hiding?"  
"Sorry Videl, I can't tell you. I promised Sharpner I wouldn't, besides you'll find out soon enough."  
"Come on girl. I just told you about me and Gohan."  
"No, I gave Sharpner my word."  
"Ah well, let's go back out there so you can tell us then."  
  
Gohan, having been raised by his mother to be a proper gentleman got up of his chair and helped Videl sit down, pushing her toward the table.  
She smiled up at him, but at the same time he could tell from the look on her face that she was almost embarrassed about it, she was a strong girl and apparently had problems being helped like this.  
He glanced over to Sharpner who was helping Erasa like-wise. The two of them had hatched the plan for this little politeness offensive while the girls were in the powder room. They exchanged a smile before sitting back down themselves.  
As Gohan sat down he could sense Videl's Ki behind him, and when he turned around he noticed that she'd gotten up and was now in position to push him toward the table. He smiled and put his head in the back of his neck, allowing her to give him a small kiss as she pushed him forward.  
"All right." He said when their lips parted. "The point is taken miss independence, no more chair pushing."  
  
Videl could feel the self satisfied smile on her face as she sat back down. Part of her had really enjoyed Gohan's actions. Not so much the push itself as the attention, but she didn't feel like letting her feminine side run away with her completely yet.   
She looked around the table to see that Sharpner and Erasa were both giggling at the scene that had just played out in front of them.  
She was just about to ask those two what they wanted to tell her and Gohan, when the waiter came back bringing their dinner.  
They all started eating after that. But after a few bites Videl couldn't contain her curiosity anymore.  
"So you guys." She said. "What did you want to tell us?"  
She looked at Sharpner and Erasa who exchanged a glance. Sharpner nodded. And finally Erasa spoke up.  
"We're engaged, we're getting married."  
Videl could feel her mouth hanging open with shock, but found herself unable to close it. Even Gohan looked shocked and had stopped eating. Something truly rare for a Saiyan.  
"When?" Videl finally managed to choke out.  
"We haven't decided yet." Erasa said, looking rather amused at the reaction.  
"If you guys hurry we could have a double wedding." Sharpner kidded.  
Videl laughed at this and saw Gohan do the same thing. Sharpner's remark had managed to get them over the shock.  
"I'm not sure I'd want a double wedding." She said.  
When did I start thinking about marrying? She wondered, yet the remark had come so naturally.  
"Well, we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it." Gohan said.  
Hmm. Videl thought. Apparently he doesn't rank the idea in the realm of the impossible either.  
"But for now." Gohan continued. "Let's finish dinner and then we have a movie to go to."  
  
When they finished dining they had some time left before they had to be at the cinema. So Gohan and Videl questioned Sharpner and Erasa some. From the story they gathered that Sharpner had proposed out of the blue. He'd been out shopping with Erasa when they came to a jewellery store. He'd asked Erasa her ring-size and then gone, coming back out a moment later with a diamond engagement ring, in the right size, dropping to one knee and asking the question.  
At the cinema Gohan got the tickets, which he'd booked in advance, and they went quickly inside. Gohan being a Saiyan got a large bucket of popcorn, as well as a drink. But he limited himself to a more or less normal amount.  
Soon after Gohan had purchased his refreshments a voice could be heard through the speaker-system, warning that the movie would start in ten minutes and they took their seats near the back of the theatre.  
They chatted for a few more minutes before the lights went out and the credits started to role.   
  
Waves and Rocks productions presents.  
A Satan City Films Production  
Directed by John Luney  
When the Aliens Came.  
  
More writing filled the screen as an introduction.  
About twelve years ago, the world was glued to the TV as reports of aliens landing on earth and fighting a Special Forces unit filled their screens. Now we are proud to bring you a re-enactment of what happened then.  
  
Videl looked over at Gohan when she'd finished reading this. He'd been there, he'd told her. So why go to this movie. The look on his face soon made it all clear to her. He hadn't known. His expression was one of complete and utter shock.  
"You didn't know." She whispered, though it was painfully obvious.  
"No." He whispered back. "But I hope they did a decent job of it, or Vegeta will blow up the Earth the moment he hears about it."  
They returned their attention to the screen.  
  
Two spherical space pods were crashing in the out-skirts of a city. Out of one stepped a man looking not to unlike Vegeta. The other alien however definitely wasn't Nappa. For that matter the other alien wasn't even a man, it was a woman, she was slightly taller than 'Vegeta' and had long flowing red hair.  
"Ah Nappa." 'Vegeta' said. "We've finally arrived at this pitiful excuse for a planet."  
"Yes prince Vegeta." 'Nappa' replied. "Now we can have some fun."  
"Yes my sweet."  
  
Gohan choked audibly.  
  
"We will have a lot of fun destroying these weaklings so we can sell their planet. But first let us see if there are any strong warriors we will have to deal with first."  
  
Gohan turned to Videl and whispered. "In case you're wondering Nappa was actually a seven foot tall bold guy."  
  
'Vegeta' meanwhile had pulled out something that looked more like a dragon radar than a scouter and was studying it.  
"Hnn. It appears that some of the weaklings on this planet aren't quite as weak anymore." He stated. "I'm detecting six rather large power levels that way." He pointed in a random direction."  
"What should we do with these pitiful weaklings my prince." 'Nappa' said looking around.  
"Dispose of them as you please." 'Vegeta' stated. "They are of no concern to us."  
'Nappa' Took to the air and fired a bolt of energy destroying a few blocks of housing.  
"Now that you've had your fun my sweet shall we go?" Vegeta said.  
  
"That doesn't sound like Vegeta to me." Videl whispered. "I know I don't know him that well, but it definitely doesn't sound like him."  
"Believe me it doesn't." Gohan whispered in reply, but again the screen demanded their attention.  
  
'Nappa' and 'Vegeta' were now flying of in the direction that was being indicated by the 'scouter'.  
The scene changed to show the two aliens landing in the dessert. Where they were immediately confronted by all six of the Earth's elite fighters.  
  
Gohan winced as the camera showed each of them in turn. 'Chaozu' was way to tall and he was standing on the ground, something the little emperor rarely did, 'Tien's' third eye seemed to be missing at first glance but in the follow up shot appeared to have been moved to the back of his head. 'Piccolo' was probably one of the best portrayed. Though his antennae were pointing to the sides rather than in front of him.  
'Krillin' was too tall, and had three dots on his head instead of six, forming a triangle on his forehead. But other than that he looked more or less like himself.   
When they came to 'Yamcha' Gohan couldn't help a grin from forming on his face. They'd got the scars right, but somehow Yamcha had ended up with blue hair, like Bulma's.   
The laughter that was about to break out died in his mouth as the camera moved to 'him'.  
It seemed that the filmmakers had been lead by the fact that his clothes had been a lot like Piccolo's, so they'd made him a Namek. Like Piccolo he had antennae that were sticking out to the sides, but what shocked him most was the fact they'd left his hair, but made it green.  
"I look like Dende with hair." He whispered to Videl.  
"Yes you do." She giggled.   
"Come on Videl. This isn't funny. It would be if it wasn't me, but now it's not."  
"Oh please Gohan. Don't take it so seriously."  
Gohan had to admit she had a point it was only a movie after all. He sighed and continued to watch.  
  
On screen one crazy thing happened after another. First the Saiyans and the Earth special forces just stood there staring at each other and then 'Nappa' and 'Yamcha' began to flirt with each other.  
After a while 'Vegeta' summoned the Saibamen by blowing on a whistle, rather than growing them, and the fight between the Earth's forces and the Saibamen began. Just like it had happened in real life, 'Yamcha' was attacked kamikaze style, but in the movie 'Nappa' pulled of the Saibamen. She then lightly kissed 'Yamcha' and the two of them faced 'Vegeta'.  
Who was finally killed by a bolt of energy shot of by the two of them together. The rest of the movie went on about 'Yamcha' and 'Nappa' settling down together and raising a family. And also about the prejudices they faced, being a human alien couple.  
  
When Gohan walked out of the cinema next to Videl he was in a state of numbness. It really was laughable. He thought to himself. But if Vegeta ever saw it the world would probably end.  
Nah, Vegeta would have Bulma screaming at him for eternity if he did that. But it wouldn't be pretty. That was for sure.  
"Are you okay Gohan?" Erasa asked.  
Gohan looked up from his contemplations and nodded. "I'll be fine. I'm just a bit shocked."  
"Why?" Sharpner joined the conversation. "I thought it was a rather good movie."  
"Let's see, they got everybody's looks wrong, the turned Nappa into a woman, and me into a Namek. What's there to be shocked about?" Gohan remarked absent mindedly no realising what he'd just told Sharpner and Erasa until it was too late.  
He looked over to the other three to see a look of shock on Videl's face while the two blonds both looked puzzled.  
"What do you mean by that?" Sharpner finally asked.  
"Ah well, I might as well tell you guys, you'd figure it out sooner or later anyway. I was there. I was the little boy, that's what I meant when I said they turned me into a Namek, that's what those green guys are called, though they never have hair."  
"What were you doing there?" Erasa asked.  
"Well, I'm a bit ashamed to admit that for the most part I was being scared stiff. Perhaps not wholly inexcusable for a six year old, facing some of the toughest aliens there are, but it's the only time in my life that happened. The actual fight lasted a lot longer than the one in the movie. And I did join in for a bit in the end, but mostly I just couldn't move for fear."  
"But what would you being doing there in the first place as a six year old?" Sharpner asked.  
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. Not now anyway. Perhaps in time you will know, but telling someone you're not telling them anything is better than lying, or even worse than lying, twisting the truth."  
"Why is twisting the truth worse than lying?" Videl wanted to know.  
"Because when you twist the truth the changes can be so subtle the peoples whole worlds are turned upside down when they find out the real truth."  
  
Videl nodded at Gohan's remark, he hadn't said it in so many words, but the look in his eyes told her everything. Everything she'd already known, he was talking about her. About what her father had done after the Cell-games. That had been twisting the truth, Hercule had been there, and Cell had been defeated, but not by Hercule.  
They walked along in silence. Erasa and Sharpner lived next door to each other and not to far out of the city centre so Videl and Gohan dropped them off at their houses before he changed into to Sayaman and scooped her into his arms, flying her home.  
As they made their way to her balcony Videl thought about something Gohan had said some time ago.  
"Gohan." She said as they landed.  
"Hmm." He replied.  
"You said some time ago that you might teach me how to fly, would you?"  
"I suppose. My little brother has been asking me to teach him as well. So once I get you up to speed on how to use your Ki, I could teach you both at the same time."  
Videl nodded, it made sense. Well part of it anyway.  
"So how do I use my Ki?" She inquired.  
"Let's leave that for tomorrow okay. I know how Piccolo taught me how to use mine, but I don't think you'd like that strategy."  
"Why what did he do?"  
"He threw me as hard as he could at a mountain."  
"What happened?"  
"I blew up the mountain, but I don't think you have that level of strength yet, so it would be somewhat painful."  
"So how else can you teach me?"  
"To be honest I haven't a clue yet. I'll have to give it some thought tonight. Just come to my place tomorrow morning and hopefully I'll have a plan on how to teach you by then."  
"Okay. I'll be there. Have a good flight home." She gave him a small kiss on the lips.  
"I'll be careful don't worry. See you in the morning." He replied, yelling the last sentence over his shoulder as he took off.  
  
How am I going to teach her? Gohan thought as he headed for the Son home. Flying is going to be the easy part. She's got a decent Ki already because she uses it without knowing, but teaching her to control it...  
He sighed. All to soon he reached home. It wasn't too late yet so Goten was there when he landed.  
"Hey big brother." He chirped. "How was your date?"  
"Fine Goten."  
"So what are we going to do tomorrow?"  
"Well I'm going to teach Videl to use her Ki. And then I was thinking I'd teach you and her both how to fly. But I'm not sure if I can get her to that point tomorrow. So that may take a while longer."  
"Yippee. I'm gonna fly, I'm gonna fly."  
//I really can't imagine Goten hearing this and not saying that line."  
  
The next morning Videl got up early and after a quick shower and breakfast routine, she ran out the door, got out her copter and started to push her jets to the limit racing to the Son home.  
When she got there Gohan was waiting for her outside.  
"Hey Gohan." She said as she got out of her copter. "So what are the odds I'll be flying home today without the need for the jet-copter?"  
"I'm not sure about that. But I don't think so, you shouldn't try flying long distance without a guide right away. Even if you do learn today, and I'm not positive on that. It takes a while to figure out how to control your energy."  
"But you have found a way of teaching me right?"  
"Well I have an idea. So we'll just see if it works."  
"Okay."  
"Let's get to the training field first."  
Videl nodded and followed him.  
  
"Okay." Gohan said as they reached the field. "Just sit down so that you're comfortable."  
Videl nodded and sat down.  
"Good, now just relax."  
I hope this works. He thought. Because if this doesn't I'm temporarily out of ideas.  
He watched Videl until he was sure she was relaxed.  
"Hold your hands like this." He instructed her, showing her his own hands, the palms slightly curved, while he held them about ten inches apart.  
She held her hands in the right position.  
"Good." He said again. "Now watch me. I'm going to show you the first step of controlling your Ki."  
Very slowly he brought out a little bit of his Ki.  
// Same sort of ball he forms in the series.  
"Now that's the first step. What you have to do to reach that is to find yourself I suppose. Just find a feeling in side of you, probably in the pit of your stomach, that feels like it's you, your strength and your character, and then bring that out.  
  
Videl focused. She found the feeling Gohan had mentioned as if her essence was just sitting there inside of her.  
She concentrated on it and could feel it moving slowly through her body at her command, finally it slowly pushed out of her hands, forming a ball similar to the one Gohan had made. It took a lot of effort though, and soon she pulled her hands apart, letting the energy slide back into her.  
"Wow, that was great." Gohan said. "I really didn't think you'd do so well so quickly."  
"So I'm still capable of surprising you." She asked teasingly.  
"Yeah, your really doing great. Now, before you learn to fly I think it would be best if you learn to fire Ki-blasts."  
"Ki-blasts?"  
"It's when you use your Ki-as a beam or blast to attack, it's what I did the other day when I blew up that mountain. Though you won't be blowing up mountains any time soon."  
"Why not?"  
"Well you might just make it actually, in a couple of days, if you could learn one of the more complex attacks. They allow you to concentrate your Ki so you can do way more damage than you could with a normal blast, but, and you'll notice this soon enough, once you learn to use your Ki, you can sense other peoples, so I can sense yours and it's not big enough yet. It'll get stronger though. It's just like your muscles, when you use it, work out as it were, it gets stronger."  
"So how long until I'm at the level you're on now?" Videl wondered out loud.  
"From what I know." Gohan said. "You'll never get here, even the strongest human fighters can't even keep up with me before I go Super, let alone after that, but if there's one thing I've learned when it comes to strength it's never say never, so you just might at some point, but Dende help me, I have no idea how or why you could reach it."  
Videl nodded, she'd felt like she had to ask, but she'd expected this answer. After all Gohan did have an advantage over her being half alien.  
"So how do I, I don't know, what verb do you use, make, fire, a Ki-blast."  
"I'd say fire." Gohan said. "And to do so you just force out your Ki through one or both hands. I'd start with one hand if I were you. Now the difference with what you did before is that you really shoot it away, and you do it as fast as possible. A basic blast will just go in a straight line from your hand, so that's how you aim it, just move your hand."  
Videl nodded again. She reached inside herself, feeling her Ki, and this time brought it out through her right hand only. She pointed her hand at a rock, and felt a rush of savage joy when she saw her Ki shoot out, cracking the aforementioned rock.  
"So," she asked, "if that's a basic blast, what are those more complex techniques you mentioned?"  
"There are to many to mention right now, but to name a few, there's the Kamehameha, that's master Roshi's special attack, he taught my dad and Krillin. Then there's the special beam cannon, that's Piccolo's move. And finally for me the Masenko will always be in the top three, but that's because it's my attack, I developed it myself."  
"Why did you?"  
"Well my dad didn't train me, Piccolo did, but he didn't really teach me his own special attacks, he and my dad were enemies, I suppose he did want me to be strong, so I could help defend the Earth. But at that point he still wanted to take over the world, so he didn't want to give the other side the advantage of me knowing his special attack."  
"So when are you going to teach me those?"  
"Not yet, they can take a while to learn and you now have enough control to learn how to fly first."  
"Okay, let's get Goten out here then and start flying school."  
  
Gohan was surprised when Videl managed to hover after only about an hour. Goten was zooming around in no time of course, but Saiyans were a lot better at using their Ki than humans, it just came naturally to them.  
When evening fell she could already fly, albeit it somewhat shakily. Also her Ki was still relatively low so she tired quickly, but Gohan could sense that it had already risen since that morning.  
Naturally she came again the next day, and he decided to make things a bit more difficult on her, using the materialisation he'd learned from Piccolo to give her weighted down training clothes. Also next to his own training he sparred with her, which really made her Ki rise.  
  
Two weeks later Gohan looked at Videl with pride as she flew around firing Ki-blasts at various rocks. He was training her, and it was definitely paying of. She had really become a lot stronger, she'd probably be as strong as he'd been when he'd first gone to Namek soon.  
He put a hand over his pocket and felt the small box there.   
Is it still to early? He wondered. Or should I just go for it.  
He looked at her as she made another pass, a few more rocks suffered. This whole area had been made into a training ground with the Dragon Balls long ago, all the damage done would automatically be restored in a few days.  
Making up his mind he shot up into the air. Blocking Videl's path. She came to a stop, just hovering in front of him.  
He lowered himself onto one knee in the air and took the box out of his pocket, opening it to reveal the ring he'd selected.  
"Videl Satan, will you marry me?"  
  
/*   
How will Videl answer this question? Should Gohan have listened to his fears about this being to soon, find out next time on Life is Strange.  
  
God I did it again, another evil cliff-hanger. Especially evil since I'm not sure what she's going to say yet. So be nice and review and tell me what you want her to say. I'll go with my own idea in the end anyway, but review anyway.  
I'm not too evil actually I thought about letting the only bells in this chapter be Sharpner and Erasa, but I was afraid that Lady Queen might have figured out that really horrible thing to do to me by now.  
I'll try to keep writing as fast as I can, but I've been slowing down a bit, you have to have the inspiration before you can write. Now all of you go review like good little readers and I'll get to work on the next chapter, and Videl's answer.  
*/ 


	8. The Answer

/*  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ isn't mine, Gohan is, well in my dreams he is at any rate.  
  
Anything between /* and */ is just me budding in, so is anything after // up until the next hard return.  
For those of you that realised, I'm trying to learn to program in C++ as a hobby, that's the origin of the commentary codes.  
  
*/  
  
/*   
  
General remark:  
  
Things seem to be moving rather quickly I suppose. But then they always do in DBZ. // I like that combination, then they, Dende :).  
  
*/  
  
/*   
  
Response to reviews:  
  
To Videl2008:  
Have Veggie-chan shut up. On the Namek front, his clothes were sort of like Piccolo's and the movie was aiming for a comedy effect so I though, turn him into a hairy Namek for the heck of it.  
  
To Kat:  
It's about as bad as my other one, thanks for the compliment. I hate cliffhangers in other people's fics, guess this is my revenge.  
  
To MGRJTYAESSAIYAN:  
The lemon is not in this story and isn't going to be. I wouldn't have rated it PG-13 if there was going to be. If you want a lemon write one yourself.  
  
To edward-tivrusky-5:  
* Grins * I get more reviews when I leave cliffhangers. And yes things are moving pretty fast but as I said above, that always seems to happen in DBZ.  
  
To Z:  
I do pay attention to detail, most of the time, but if you read carefully you'll see that in some scenes I don't for example we never find out what they had for dinner, or even what type of restaurant it was. Thanks for the compliment though.  
  
To Gillian:  
They are probably going to do something, like after the wedding which is still a couple of chapters away at least, but I'm not going to write about it, well maybe a couple of smiles and blushes afterwards and Krillin doing some teasing.  
  
To Nemi:  
There are going to be bad guys. And I think Vegeta may see the movie, I've got a lot of ideas right now so I'll have to work them out in the next couple of chapters, neither one is happening in this chapter though.  
  
  
To Lady Queen: A special message from my sister, Patricia (Pteska):  
Dear Lady Queen, I really like your Idea of sending your little brother. I'm sure he would do good job. Being a big sister myself I know how bugging little brothers can be (especially if they are taller by at least one head)  
However, if you are not capable of sending your little brother anytime soon, just let me know and I'll try to do his bugging until he gets here.  
  
To Lady Queen: My own reply:  
Go ahead, send you evil little brother, I'm sure we'll get along great, I'm an evil little brother myself and could really use some help in pestering Pteska. Besides at the very least we could exchange tactics. Not sure if it'd be an effective way to get at me though.   
On the subject of animals, I guess there are some other creatures running around, but you rarely see any of them, so I didn't really know how to place them. Also people do seem surprised that Piccolo is green, and stuff like that, so we could also argue that as pigs aren't a known intelligent race it would freak her out.  
  
To Goku's Daughter:  
In a manner of speaking I guess you are getting a sister in law, even though it's in different Alternate Universes.  
  
To everyone:  
Thanks.  
  
*/  
  
Life Is Strange  
  
Saga: Truth  
  
Chapter 8: The Answer  
  
Videl came to a sudden halt in mid-air as Gohan appeared in front of her.   
What does he want? She thought.  
He got into a crouching position in the air and held out a small box, the lid opened to show a beautiful silver ring with two stones, an onyx and a sapphire, set in it.  
She still didn't understand what was happening until she heard his voice.  
"Videl Satan, will you marry me?"  
She was stunned. She'd been expecting him to maybe make a move one of these days, but this hadn't been what she'd had in mind.  
Hell yes. A voice in her mind screamed but she couldn't get the words out. Dende, why can't just say what I've been waiting to say all this time. She thought. Her concentration drifted and she suddenly found herself falling rapidly to the ground. She was to stunned, she just couldn't get herself under control. Gohan, with his amazing speed suddenly appeared out of nowhere, catching her just as she was about to hit the ground.  
Now that she was in his arms, feeling his body against hers she finally found the strength to whisper a reply.  
"I do." Two simple words that up until a few weeks ago seemed like something she'd never say. Well not in this way anyway.  
She felt one of Gohan's arms leave her, though he was still holding her safely with the other, and felt his fingers, so soft, so gentle, and yet so strong, slowly slide the ring onto her finger.  
She looked at it, the onyx and the sapphire looked perfect next to each other. It was evening and the light of the setting sun was sparkling in the two stones.  
"It's beautiful." She whispered.  
"Not as beautiful as you." Gohan replied, whispering also. "But it reminded me of you. The onyx is as black as your hair, and the sapphire sparkles blue like your eyes."  
He put her back on her own feet and she hugged him, giving him a kiss on the lips.  
"We do need to talk about this a bit though." He said.  
She gave him what she thought was a puzzled look, but knew he was right.  
"For one thing, do we set a date? Or do we just leave it for the time being at being engaged with the intention to marry eventually?"  
"Hmm." She said, relaxing her body against his. "I think we should set a date, I think I remember your mother mentioning that she and your father got married at the World Martial Arts Tournament?"  
Gohan nodded.  
"Well there's another one coming up next fall, what if we both enter, and then we can get married there."  
"It's a deal." Gohan said with a grin.  
"So is there anything else?"  
"Lot's of things I'm sure." Gohan said. "But let's not worry about that just yet. I think it's time we told your future mother in law the good news."  
"At least she'll agree it's good news." Videl said, feeling a bit sad. "I doubt my dad will take it as such."  
"We'll face that problem when we come to it." Gohan said. "And we'll face it together."  
She smiled again as he put his arm around her shoulder reassuringly.  
  
"Mom, Goten." Gohan called as they entered the front door.  
"What is it sweetheart?" Chi-Chi asked as she walked into the room, followed by Goten who bounced in.  
"Videl and I have something to tell you." Gohan stated.  
"Yes. Yes."   
Mom sure sounds eager. Gohan thought.  
He was about to open his mouth again when Videl spoke up.  
"Just look at my finger Mrs. Son."  
She held out her hand showing Chi-Chi the engagement ring.  
Chi-Chi's eyes turned to stars as she turned to Gohan.   
"You asked her?"  
"And she accepted." Gohan said with a smile that felt like it was going wall to wall.  
"What are you talking about?" Goten asked.  
"Videl and I have gotten engaged Goten, we're going to get married." Gohan explained.  
"I'm getting a sister. I'm getting a sister." Goten was literally bouncing of the walls in that special way only a pint-sized Super-Saiyan could manage.  
Gohan smiled at this for a while. Until Videl caught his attention. She was smiling too, but her face was becoming more serious.  
"We really should go tell my dad." She said. "I have a feeling I may be moving out today."  
"Let's go then." Gohan said. Putting his arm around her shoulders.  
  
Videl did her best to fly as fast as she could next to Gohan, but she still felt she was slowing him down. She didn't just feel it, she knew it. From what Gohan had told her he could get to Satan city in a matter of minutes if he had to. But it was still a half an hour flight for her. He didn't seem to mind sticking to her pace though.   
It was really strange how familiar she'd become with flying and Ki thanks to his training these past few weeks. About a month ago she would have called it all just a bunch of tricks, following her dad's explanation because it had been the only one offered to her.  
She didn't like the prospect of facing her father so she started thinking about her training and Gohan.  
I hope I can get him to teach me those more difficult Ki attacks one of these days. She thought. I'm certainly strong enough now, even if I'm nowhere near his level. What if I just Ki-blasted my father when we get there? It wouldn't be nice, but man it'd feel good.  
She giggled a little at the scene that played in her mind at the thought:  
'Oh daddy.'  
'Yes Videl.'  
'Remember what you said about energy blasts being cheap tricks?'  
'Well they are sweetheart, it's just a bunch of lightshows.'  
'Very well, how does that lightshow feel?'  
She pictured herself firing a blast at this point and giggled some more at the prospect of using it to take off that ridiculous hair of his.  
"I'm glad to see you're still enjoying yourself." Gohan said.  
"I was just thinking what it would be like to Ki-blast my dad, just to get him to shut up on the it's all just a trick front."  
"I can see how that would appeal to your sense of humour, just don't make it a lethal blast. You may not realise it, but your Ki-blasts are already quite capable of killing human beings."  
"So when are going to teach me the more difficult moves. If I can already kill people, I should be ready for those."  
"You are. But it takes time to learn, and it's taking time for me to remember exactly how I was taught, or on most counts, how I taught myself. Saiyans have a talent for reproducing any technique they see. It took master Roshi fifty years to master the Kamehameha, and from what my grandfather, on my mother's side, told me my dad managed it within five minutes. So that's the way I learned most of what I know as well, just seeing others do it. Also the Masenko I thought up myself, it's never been taught to anyone. Piccolo can do it as well though, but he just picked it up from watching me."  
"So tell me, how did you make it up? You told me it was because Piccolo wouldn't teach you his attack, but how do you think up a Ki attack?"  
"I guess it just came naturally. Because the Masenko is my own attack it's also my most powerful, if you look at the power that's in it compared to my Ki. The only thing I can get to the same level is the Kamehameha. Roshi originally invented that but my dad sort of developed it through, he taught me how to do it perfectly when we were training for the Cell-games. But I guess I still like the Masenko best. What I did to invent it was basically look at the other attacks I'd seen. They all worked by concentrating Ki first, and the letting a beam shoot out of the concentrated stuff. So that's what I did, finding my own style of doing it."  
Videl nodded, it made sense. Maybe she'd come up with her own attack one day.  
She couldn't stop a shiver from passing through her as they approached the Satan Mansion.   
  
Gohan noticed the shiver pass through Videl.   
Apparently thoughts of training and Ki-blasts can't distract her anymore. He thought, eyeing the large mansion as it appeared on the horizon. Not really a surprise I suppose.   
He changed his flight pattern a bit so he was flying closer to Videl.   
"Worried?" He asked.  
"A bit. I know my dad can't hurt me, but still..."  
"He still can." Gohan said softly. "Maybe not physically, but he still can. Cell couldn't hurt me, during the first part of our fight, yet he caused me more pain than anyone else ever has."  
"What do you mean?" Videl asked looking puzzled.  
"I told you, my dad died because of a mistake I made at the Cell-games. Cell tried to blow up himself and the Earth when he couldn't beat me, and my dad sacrificed himself just to get Cell away from here with a special technique. Unfortunately Cell wasn't killed, that's a long story, but he came back, more powerful than before. When he came back he was much stronger, he could actually hurt me physically. When the final showdown came, two Kamehameha waves fired against each other I couldn't use my left arm, but I still managed to defeat him in the end. My wounds healed, Dende can heal anything instantly, and if he hadn't been there I would have just taken a senzu bean. But to this day the loss of my father still hurts. Mostly because it was my fault, I should have finished Cell off at once, so he wouldn't have had the opportunity to try to blow everything up. But I was so much stronger, I was just enjoying the fight, my Saiyan love of battle took over. So even if your dad could punch you at full strength without hurting you, he'd probably break his hand if he did, he can still hurt your feelings."  
  
Videl nodded after Gohan's speech, it made sense. She could also feel the pain coming from him and hear it in his voice as he spoke of his father's death.  
I guess for once it's a virtue that I've never been really close to my dad. She thought. At least it won't hurt too much if he rejects me.  
She let out a sigh to calm herself as she and Gohan landed on the path to the front door. She could hear him doing the same, probably trying to get rid of some of his sadness.  
She gave him a small smile, which he returned, though it didn't look too genuine, before proceeding up the path to the door.  
She got out her key and unlocked the door. She knew it would set off a bell somewhere in the house and soon Jeffrey would appear.  
Her father's butler did indeed show up in less than a minute.  
"Jeffrey." Videl said, trying to stay in control of her emotions. "Would you please tell dad to meet me in the living room."  
"And who is this young man?"  
"His name's Gohan, I'll take care of him, you just tell my dad to meet me there."  
"Very well miss."  
With that Jeffrey left them and Videl lead Gohan to the living room.  
She sat on the couch and patted the seat next to her to signal Gohan to sit down. He gave her an encouraging smile as he did so. She tried to return it but knew her nervousness was showing. For that matter Gohan didn't seem fully at ease either. He didn't have too much to worry about himself, but she could sense his worries about her.  
They sat in silence for a moment when her dad entered.  
As she'd expected he didn't even greet her. But jumped right to the topic that confused him, what was Gohan doing here. As she'd also expected, he didn't recognise Gohan from their meeting on the island after all he'd only caught a single glimpse of Gohan in his non Super-Saiyan form before the Sayaman helmet had gone back on.   
"Videl, what is this scrawny runt doing here, and who is he anyway?"  
"Dad this is Gohan, and he's here because we have something to tell you."  
"My God, you're not pregnant by this loser are you cause if you are..."  
"No dad, I'm not pregnant." Videl cut him off. "We're..., we're..."  
At this point Gohan came to the rescue. "What Videl is trying to tell you is that we're engaged."  
She gave him a grateful smile. He was there for her. He'd always been there somehow, even when she didn't know who he was he'd been there to help her as Sayaman. She continued to muse for a while, until her dad's outraged words brought her out of it.  
"WHAT? Well I forbid it, you can't get married to him. Look at him, he's puny. I mean he's a nobody. And he looks like a wimp. He can't protect you, he's not strong like me and..."  
"Please that stop." Videl said. "First off, you couldn't protect me better than I can myself. And second off he can. Third off, you may not recognise him because you were to scared at the time, but he's the same guy I was with on the island when you tracked me down."  
She saw her dad glance at Gohan. And a look of recognition passed of his face. In the next instant Hercule jumped and hid behind the couch.  
"Keep him back, he's not normal." He shouted in panic.  
"Oh, please." Videl said cynically. "Spare me. He may not be average, but he's just as sane as you or me. Besides, if he wanted to harm you, you'd be hurt, if not dead by now."  
"I don't care what you say, just get him out of my house, and if you want to marry him, you can go with him and not come back."  
"Fine dad." Videl said, it wasn't unexpected, but she still felt a bit sad. "I hope you reconsider someday, in spite of all your faults you're still my dad. Good bye."  
She got up, took Gohan's hand, and the two of them walked out.  
The sun had set now, and the moon was up in the sky. Gohan looked at it.  
"Beautiful isn't it."  
"Yes, but I seem to remember Bulma telling me Piccolo destroyed it after you went Oozaru for the first time."  
"Oh, I wished it back, more or less, what I wished for was for the Dragon to make a new moon, that looks exactly like the old one, but it won't let any Saiyan go Oozaru."  
Videl nodded and took to the sky.  
"Videl." Gohan said.  
"What is it?"  
"I think we should go to Bulma's first. I'd like to borrow a capsule house for you to stay in, that way you'll have a bit more privacy."  
"Okay, let's go there."  
Gohan joined her in the air and together they set course for the Western Capitol and CC headquarters.  
  
I hope she'll be okay. Gohan thought as he flew next to Videl to CC. I don't think the truth has settled in yet. At least I'll be close by tonight so if anything should happen...  
Videl seemed to be all right on the surface, but that was probably all it was, the surface, he could sense the turmoil underneath her calm appearance.  
Videl was slower than him so it took them almost fifteen minutes to get to their destination. After they'd landed he knocked on the back door, which was immediately opened by Bulma.  
"Hi guys."  
"Hey Bulma." He replied. Videl came in after him and didn't say anything.  
"So," Bulma asked, "is what Chi-Chi tells me true, have you two gotten engaged?"  
Gohan nodded and Bulma turned to Videl.  
"So how did your dad take it?"  
"He kicked me out, well not literally kicked, he couldn't do that since Gohan's been training me, but he told me that if I wanted to marry Gohan I should leave and not come back."  
Bulma pulled Videl into a hug and to Gohan's surprise Videl started sobbing softly.  
"Why did you bring her here?" Bulma asked softly over Videl's shoulder.  
"She needs a place to stay, I wanted to borrow a capsule house, so she could have a bit more privacy."  
Bulma just nodded. "I'll get you one once she's feeling a bit better."  
  
It took a while for Videl to get herself under control again. Eventually she looked up again and smiled at Bulma. "Thanks." She whispered.  
Bulma just smiled back and went into another room to look for a nr. 1 house capsule.  
Videl looked over at Gohan, who seemed worried.  
"Are you okay?" He asked.  
"Yeah, I'm fine, just a bit emotional right now." She replied.  
Oh god, she thought, he must think I'm weak now.  
"Don't worry about it." Gohan said. "We all have to cry sometimes."   
He pulled her into a hug and she almost felt like starting to sob again, but this time she managed to stay in control of her emotions. Something about being in his arms seemed to make the whole thing more bearable.  
Just then she heard the door open and when she turned to see who it was she was rather surprised to see not Bulma, as she had expected, but Vegeta.  
"So what are you two doing hugging in my kitchen?" Vegeta asked in his usual sneering tone. "And where's my wife, she has to fix the GR."  
"Videl and I are engaged Vegeta." Gohan stated. "And Bulma is just getting a capsule for me. She'll be here in a little while."  
"You're actually planning to marry that fraud's daughter?" Vegeta asked.  
"Why not, she didn't do anything wrong. Besides Bulma married you, and boy did you do things wrong in your time."  
"Don't get smart with me you brat."  
"I'm not getting smart with you I'm just telling you the truth. And by the way, thanks for caring so much about my honour for defeating Cell."  
"Humph." Was Vegeta's reply.  
I guess Bulma was right about him. Videl thought. He does care about anything to do with Saiyans.  
Vegeta seemed to be studying her for a while.  
"She's become a lot stronger." He remarked to Gohan.  
"Thanks." Gohan said. "I've been training her myself the past couple of weeks."  
"I hate to admit it brat, but you've been done all right."  
"Thanks Vegeta." Gohan said. "Coming from you that's a huge compliment. But Videl really deserves the credit, I just trained her, she'd the one that's actually getting stronger."  
"She's not bad for a human. A little work and she may just become the strongest of the lot, though that's hardly an impressive distinction."  
"That's Vegeta's way of paying you a compliment." Gohan explained.  
Videl smiled. They're funny when they get together like this. She thought. And it's certainly helping to take my mind of things.  
"Well thanks Vegeta." She said. Smiling again as he scowled.  
Just then Bulma came back into the room, followed by Trunks.  
"Hey Gohan." Trunks greeted. "Is what mom told me true, are you and Videl getting married?"  
"Yeah." Gohan replied. "We are."  
"Cool." Trunks said. "Can I come to the wedding?"  
"Of course you can Trunks." Gohan said.  
Trunks smiled and went back to his room. Bulma meanwhile handed Videl a capsule.  
"Here you go." She said. "I decided to make it a Z-55 capsule rather than a normal nr. 1 Capsule house. For one thing I couldn't find a nr. 1, and for another this seemed like the better option to me."  
"Z-55?" Videl asked, never having heard of that number.  
"The Z range of capsules is a private range." Bulma explained. "Very few people know about them. The Z-16 for example is the gravitron capsule, the gravitron is what makes the GR work. Z-55 is a house, it's just like a normal capsule house, but it can be deployed on any terrain, not just flat surfaces. It has a build in system that evens out the ground it's thrown on. The terrain in the 439 area is pretty rugged, so I thought that might come in handy. Also it's a tad more luxurious than the standard capsule house, it's even slightly above the top of the range models, so you get an extra-large TV, stuff like that, and a larger refrigerator, which will come in handy if Gohan ever visits."  
Videl smiled thankfully.  
"Thanks Bulma, I think Vegeta needs some Z-16 help. So we'll be on our way."  
"Did you break the GR again?" Bulma said turning to Vegeta with a stern look.  
He just nodded. "Fix it woman." Was all he said.  
"Later Vegeta." Bulma replied.  
"Now you two have a good flight home, be careful."  
"We will." Gohan said as he led Videl out the door.  
"Bye." Videl called over her shoulder.  
"Bye." Bulma responded, while Vegeta just stood silently next to her.  
  
"Want to get home real quick?" Gohan asked Videl as they stepped outside into the cold night air.  
She nodded.  
"Okay." He said scooping her up. "Kaioken times fifty." He immediately felt the surge of strength and speed brought on by the Kaioken and made sure Videl was safely protected by his Ki before taking of.   
  
Videl couldn't believe the speed they were flying now. Somehow using Ki to fly seemed to cancel out the sonic boom but they were not just normally super-sonic now, they were going at least ten times the speed of sound.  
In a matter of just minutes they arrived at the Son home. Apparently Goten had sensed them coming because he opened the door just as Gohan landed.  
"Hi big brother." He called in that ever-cheery voice of his.  
"Hey Goten." Gohan replied.  
"Hi Videl." Goten said as his brother went past him inside and she came into view.  
"Hi Goten." She replied, running a hand through his wild Saiyan hair as she went inside.  
Inside Chi-Chi was reading a book in her chair and Gohan had dropped onto the couch. Letting out a sigh Videl sat down next to him.  
"How'd it go?" Chi-Chi asked.  
"Like I expected it would." Videl replied. "Once he realised who Gohan was dad basically told me I was no longer welcome at home."  
"Ok, I'll go prepare the guest room." Chi-Chi said.  
"Don't bother." Videl replied. "We went over to Capsule Corp. and Bulma lend me a capsule house. I'll set it up not too far from here in a minute. It was Gohan's idea, he thought it would give me more privacy."  
Chi-Chi nodded. "With two boys running around here privacy isn't exactly the easiest thing to find." She stated.  
"Well if it becomes to much for you, you can always come stay with me." Videl joked.  
"No dear, I'm used to it." Chi-Chi smiled. "Besides they'll wreck the house if I'm not here to look after them."  
Videl couldn't suppress a yawn.  
"I think it's time to get you to bed." Gohan stated. "Come on, I'll help you get settled in."  
  
Outside they walked about a fifty paces before Videl threw the capsule, there was no need to put the capsule house right on the Sons' front doorstep after all. When Videl saw the Z-55 house she gasped. It seemed larger than other capsule houses. Once inside she confirmed this and also noticed that it had two bedrooms, rather than the one in the standard capsule house.  
Gohan went straight to the kitchen and got out one of the fridge-capsules he always seemed to carry, throwing it, though there was just barely room for the huge fridge, and moving a lot of it's contents to the normal fridge in Videl's kitchen.  
"Now you won't have to worry about shopping for a while." He stated as he recapsulated it. "Well not for food anyway. We did leave all your other clothes at the mansion though, but I can materialise you some if you need them right away."  
"Nah, I'm fine." Videl said. Getting out her travel bag capsule and throwing it, making a bag not unlike the one Gohan kept his Gis in appear. "You don't think you're the only one who travels with spare clothes do you. This is enough to tie me over until I have time to go shopping."  
Gohan nodded. "If you need anything I'll be right next door." He stated.  
Videl nodded. "I'll be fine don't worry about me."  
"Okay, but don't be ashamed to ask for anything." Gohan said.  
"I won't be Gohan, now you go home, so I can get some sleep."  
"All right, I'll see you in the morning Videl. If you want you can come over for breakfast. I'm sure it'll be fine with mom."  
"Well thanks to you I certainly have enough food here. But I think I may join you. Sweet dreams."  
"Sleep well Videl."  
  
As he lay in bed in the darkness Gohan focused on his dad. He hoped his telepathic abilities were strong enough to get through to other world, hopefully to his father direct, and otherwise to King Kai. If he could just get a hold of one of them King Kai could take over the connection and the whole thing would go smoothly.  
'Dad, can you hear me.'  
No reply.  
'Dad, can you hear me.' This time he stressed every word.  
'Is that you Gohan?' His dad's voice came faintly in reply.  
'No it's a wrong number, of course it's me.'  
'Which is it, you or a wrong number.'   
Oh bother, I forgot that dad and Goten don't understand the concept of irony.  
'It's me, the wrong number was just a joke dad. But could you ask King Kai to take over the connection, this is taking a lot out of me.'  
'Sure Gohan, I'll just go get him, hang on a moment.'  
Gohan waited for a while and suddenly his dad's voice came into his head much louder.  
'I'm back Gohan.'  
'Hey dad. Just thought I should update you on things, I asked Videl to marry me.'  
'What did she say, did she know what it was or did she think it was a food?'  
'No she knew alright, and she accepted.'  
'Well I'm glad for you Gohan.'  
'Thanks Dad, now about you coming back... Is it okay if we wish you back soon, the wedding isn't for a couple of months, but if we do it soon we could get the trip to New-Namek over with during the holidays.'  
'Sure Gohan, I can't wait to see you again. You must have really grown up.'  
'I can't wait to see you either dad, and I'm sure mom and Goten will feel the same once I tell them.'  
'You mean you haven't yet?'  
'No I didn't want to get their hopes up in case Videl and I didn't happen.'  
'I see. I guess you were right to do that.'  
'Thanks dad, but it's late here so I'd best get some sleep.'  
'Okay, bye Gohan, I'll see you in while.'  
Gohan felt the connection disappear and then rolled over on his side and fell asleep.  
  
Videl didn't sleep well that night. In fact she barely slept at all. She tossed and turned, the past day playing through her head, or at least the evening. Gohan proposing, his mother's reaction, and then her dad telling her to get out and not come back. She sighed. He was her father and that still meant something to her even if he was a fraud.  
She only slept a few hours in the end before she could tell the sun was shining behind the curtains.   
She got dressed and stepped out into the cool morning air. She was wearing shorts so she could feel the dew on the high grass as it brushed against her legs. It was still early so she took to the air, heading for the training field. She looked at it from the sky, much of the damage she'd done the day before had already been restored, but most rocks still showed a little crack or something, meaning they hadn't quite regenerated fully yet. Only one rock was undamaged as ever, the rock on which she'd first kissed Gohan, some how she could never bring herself to Ki-blast that one, and today wouldn't be any different.  
She flew around firing Ki-blasts at various rocks as usual but after a while she decided to try something new.  
If Gohan could come up with his own attack when Piccolo wouldn't teach him maybe I can come up with my own since he's still trying to figure out how to teach me. She thought to herself.  
She continued to think for a while, just 'standing' in mid air until inspiration struck her.  
She held out her arms in front of her, than crossed them at the wrists so her upper arms were still sticking out front, while her lower arms and her hand formed an X joined at the wrists. After trying it both ways around she opted for having the left hand in front and so she continued from that pose. She relaxed her hands a bit so the palms were lightly curved before gathering up her Ki forming a ball in each hand. When the balls were sufficiently charged, she picked one of the larger rocks as a target and fired a Ki-beam out of each ball. The two beams seemed to twist around each other and joined shortly before they hit the rock.  
Just another inch and that rock's history. Videl thought with a smirk. When suddenly Gohan appeared out of nowhere and hit the beam, sending it into the sky, and probably out of the solar system.  
"What did you do that for?" Videl asked.  
"Do you realise that kind of energy you had in that attack? You could have blown up the whole area, not to much more and you could have destabilised the Earths core."  
"Oops, I didn't realise that."  
"Obviously, great work though, what do you call it?"  
"Hmm, good question, I just thought of the attack, haven't thought of a name yet, let me think."  
A few moments of silence passed before Videl continued.  
"How about Super Twister?" She said after a moment.  
"Sounds okay." Gohan said. "Shoot one at me."  
Videl nodded and started to prepare for the blast. She crossed her wrists again, and soon the balls of Ki were charged up and ready to go.  
"Super Twister Fire." She yelled as she released the blast, aiming it at Gohan. To her surprise Gohan raised his hands above his head.  
"Masenko." He brought them forward to face her beam and used one of his hands to support his other arm as he shot out his own beam.  
Gohan's Masenko cancelled out her Super Twister and she just gave up. Gohan as soon as Gohan noticed he disengaged his beam as well.  
"So how'd I do?" Videl asked, anxiously.  
"Good." Gohan said. "It seems to work well for you, the Super Twister was about two and a half times as strong as your normal Ki-level. That's about the same as a Kamehameha, Special Beam Cannon, or Masenko would get you. It depends on how well you've mastered the technique and how it suits you, sometimes it's more sometimes it's less. I can get about three times my normal level out of a Masenko, and about the same out of a Kamehameha, with the Special Beam Cannon it's less, but because that's Piccolo's technique it doesn't work as well for non-Nameks."  
"Did you really have to do a Masenko?" Videl asked.  
Gohan chuckled. "No I'm still so much stronger than you that I could have used a standard Ki-blast, or for that matter just defended with my hands, but I thought I'd give you a bit of a show."  
"Thought so." Was all Videl said. "Let's go inside and have breakfast now. You Saiyan show off." But she couldn't quite pull the attitude, she liked him showing off a bit, it gave her all the more reason to be proud of her fiancée.  
/* My sister had some doubts about whether Videl could do real damage to the Earth. I think she could, Roshi blew up the moon at the world tournament in the beginning of Dragon Ball, and from the beginning of Dragon Ball Z we know his power level can't have been much higher than 140. At this point I'm giving Videl a power level around that which Gohan and Krillin had when they went to Namek, a bit under it perhaps so she's somewhere between 1000 and 1500. I think that should suffice with a powerful Ki-attack to at least do some damage, though maybe not quite blow up the world yet. */  
  
"So." Videl asked after they'd had breakfast. "What did you want to do today?"  
"I'd like to go to the lookout." Gohan said. "I want to tell Piccolo and Dende about us, since they don't have a phone they're the only ones mom hasn't called, and I need to ask Dende about something."  
Hmm. Videl thought. What could he need to ask Dende about?  
She didn't let him know about this however and just nodded. "Let's go."  
They took off and as she had everyday since he'd started training her Videl noticed that she was having less trouble keeping up with Gohan. He could still go a lot faster though, as he'd shown last night, but still she was getting faster every day. Soon they'd reached Korrin's tower and started their ascent.  
Videl couldn't help feeling a bit excited. She'd been to Korrin's tower before, and Gohan had told her later that the lookout was right above Korrin's but she'd never been to the lookout before.  
They made a brief stop at Korrin's where the cat, who discovered the whole thing by reading their minds, congratulated them. Yajirobi was out shopping so he wasn't there. And after a few minutes the two of them left Korrin alone again heading up to the lookout.  
When they reached the lookout Videl was stunned. It seemed impossible for such a large object to be there, just floating, but then it had seemed impossible for humans to fly not too long ago.  
The sheer size of the lookout was overwhelming. But Piccolo and Dende soon came to greet them, as well as a short black man she hadn't met before.  
"Hi Videl, nice to see you." Dende greeted, while Piccolo just gave a somewhat friendly sounding grunt.  
"Nice to see you again too Dende, and you Piccolo." Videl replied.  
"Thanks." Dende said. "I'd like to introduce you to my assistant, mister Popo."  
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Videl said. Extending her hand. Mr. Popo however didn't take it but bowed.  
"The pleasure's all mine I'm sure." He replied.  
"Now what brings you two up here?" Piccolo asked turning to Gohan.  
"A couple of things." Gohan said. "First of all because we have an announcement to make, Videl and I have gotten engaged."  
At this both Dende and mister Popo congratulated the couple while Piccolo gave Gohan a look and a semi-approving grunt.  
"Secondly." Gohan continued after the congratulations were over. "I need to ask Dende something."  
"Go ahead Gohan, what is it?" Dende said.  
"Well, like I told you my dad said he'd come back for my wedding, but I'll need to make the wish to Porunga since he's been dead before."   
Dende nodded.  
What is going on here? Videl thought. I don't remember him telling me his dad was coming back.  
"Why didn't you tell me about this Gohan?" She asked.  
"I didn't really find the right time to tell you yet. I haven't told my mom and my little brother yet either, didn't want to get their hopes up prematurely."   
Videl nodded, it made sense.  
"So what did you want to ask me Gohan?" Dende said.  
"Well I want to know if the following is possible. Can Shen Long create a direct corridor, like a wormhole, between the lookout and New-Namek? Or is that beyond his wish power?"  
Dende looked thoughtful for a while.  
"I'm afraid it is." He finally said. "It's even beyond Porunga's I suspect."  
Now Gohan looked thoughtful. "Could the two of them do it together?" He asked.  
Dende thought again and then nodded.  
"They probably could, but you'd have to make the two wishes virtually simultaneously, and since they don't like to be kept waiting, you couldn't use Shen Long to get to New-Namek, he would go back to his lair by himself long before you could gather the Namekian Dragon Balls."  
"Thanks Dende. It looks like I'll have to borrow a Z-48 spaceship from Bulma, that should be able to cover the distance in a few weeks. And with the corridor made I could still be back before school starts again."  
/* The Z-48 is a newer model than the one Goku used to get to Namek, which fits into my Z range as the Z-15, the Z-48 looks about the same, but it has a new engine that makes it a lot faster. There are also some other minor differences but those will come up later. */  
"But why go through all the trouble of making a corridor, why not simply use one of Shen Long's wishes to get there and one of Porunga's to get back?" Dende asked.  
"Well I know you don't like to admit it, but I realise that you do miss your people sometimes. So I thought a permanent passage might be nice for you, mr. Popo and Korrin can take of watching Earth for a few hours every once in a while. Besides, we may need Porunga again some time in the future, a passage could come in handy on such occasions as well."  
The rest of the group all nodded.  
Is he planning to go into space alone? Videl wondered as they stood there.  
"Gohan I'm coming with you to New-Namek okay?"  
"I thought you might." He said with a smile. "Now we'll just have to convince my mom that we can be together in a closed environment without doing things she wants to wait until we're married, even though she does want grand-children."  
Videl smiled at this. Yes Chi-Chi was always the proper woman, she wanted grandchildren, and was looking to the two of them for the first start in that direction, but she wouldn't want them to be born out of wed-lock.  
I guess the adventure is really beginning. She thought to herself. Whoever said that getting married is an adventure didn't know how right they were, but I guess most people don't visit alien worlds to complete their guest list.  
  
/*  
Next time on life is strange. Countdown and launch for mission complete the guest list. What surprises and adventures await our bold space farers?  
  
Well there it is, chapter 8. Of course Videl accepted. I already knew that when I wrote I didn't know what her answer would be. And I didn't know, I was hesitating between "Yes." and "I do." As you can see above, the latter won.  
For those of you who are wondering I've also thought up a Japanese name for Videl's special attack, it's KyoGufuuSen, if my online dictionary is correct that should mean Big Tornado Beam. I couldn't find a translation for twister so Tornado, big instead of super, and Beam because KyoGufuu, didn't sound right without the Sen.  
The grammar may be wrong I really don't know. But at least it sounds Japanese enough. Which name do you think I should use, I decided on using the English for the time being as I also use Special Beam Cannon, rather than Makankosappo.  
Any way review and let me know what you think, on the technique's name, on the technique itself (don't be to harsh it took me hours to think up) and on anything else in the fic. Also I'd like your opinion on something. Would it be better if I started using a quotes system for thoughts, rather than having them as part of the narrative the way they are now. I already have a system in mind, but I'd like you opinions on whether it's needed or not.  
*/ 


	9. The Journey

/*  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ isn't mine, Gohan is, well in my dreams he is at any rate.  
  
Anything between /* and */ is just me budding in, so is anything after // up until the next hard return.  
For those of you that realised, I'm trying to learn to program in C++ as a hobby, that's the origin of the commentary codes.  
  
*/  
  
/*   
  
Response to reviews:  
  
To edward-tivrusky-5:  
Well you were outvoted on the Japanese or English name question. I like both equally myself, but I'm not sure on how correct the Japanese is so I'll go with the English for the time being. If you want to you can always replace the name yourself, but the attack isn't even in this chapter.  
  
To Lady Queen:  
You and your brother are also mentioned at the bottom of the fic, BTW, I'm also the baby, I have three older sisters * growls Saiyan style*, but I thought I'd put something here too. Only Goku (and possibly Goten) would be capable of not getting the wrong number joke as a joke.  
I'm glad you liked the attack as it took me a while to think up.  
  
To Flyby Stardancer:  
Glad you like the attack.  
  
To Everyone:  
Thanks a lot. I just love reviews.  
  
*/  
  
Life Is Strange  
  
Saga: The Heir Of The Cold-Empire  
  
Chapter 9: The Journey  
  
"Should I come as well?" Piccolo asked interrupting Videl's thoughts. "Not so much to keep the two of you apart, I'm sure fear off your mother will see to that, but space can be a dangerous place."  
"No thanks, I'm sure we'll be fine." Gohan said. "From Vegeta's stories, Frieza really was the most powerful fighter out there, and we all know he couldn't even take a level one Super-Saiyan. But if there are in some way bigger threats out there, you should stay here, with Vegeta and you we'll have two of the strongest warriors in the universe still here to defend Earth should it be needed. Because if I beat some bad guys, there's always the chance of their friends tracing out trajectory back to Earth."  
Piccolo nodded. "Just be careful Gohan."  
"Don't worry, I will be."  
"Yeah don't worry Piccolo I'll make sure he behaves and doesn't do anything to dangerous." Videl said with a smile.  
The tall Namek gave her a rather strange look at this comment. For a moment Videl thought she must be imagining it but she could swear he was looking at her almost fondly.  
"Why are you so concerned about this Piccolo?" Gohan asked.  
"I'm not sure." The Namek replied. "I just have this feeling, I guess you humans would call it a premonition. Nameks usually are sensitive to this sort of thing, do you remember when your dad went to get Dende to be the new God of Earth and they'd already sensed something was going on here on Earth."  
"I see what you mean." Gohan said. "We'll be careful."  
"Okay kid, now I don't want you to worry about finding the Dragon Balls here on Earth. I'll take care of that. The Nail in me wants to go to New Namek when it becomes possible."  
"Thanks Piccolo, I owe you one."  
Soon after that they left heading for Capsule Corporation.  
  
They were almost to CC when Gohan realised something and came to a halt in mid air. Videl next to him came to a halt also and looked at him with great curiosity.  
"Why did you stop Gohan?" She asked.  
"I just thought of something. I haven't told mom and Goten about this yet. If we go to Bulma now she'll call my mom when we leave, and I really think I should be the one to bring home the news."  
"So, looks like a course change then." Videl said. "Heading, the 439 mountain area."  
Gohan nodded. He couldn't help but feel a little anxious about how his mom would react, especially to him keeping her, as well as everyone else for that matter, in the dark on this all this time.  
They flew side by side for a while, but his nerves were getting too much for him.  
"Videl." He said after a while. "I'm really nervous about this. I want to get there quickly and just get it over with, so no offence, but would you mind if I carried you?"  
  
No offence huh? Videl thought. Well I guess I would be offended if I didn't know how true it was. Besides I like it when he carries me.  
"I don't mind." She said out loud. And in an instant Gohan's arms surrounded her, holding her close to his body as he started to really speed to the Son home. He wasn't in the greatest of hurries, as he wasn't using the Kaio-ken technique, which she new made him even faster, but he was fast, at this pace the trip would take five minutes at the most.  
Soon they landed between the two houses that now stood side by side or rather front-to-front, on the Son family property.  
Gohan put her down right in front of the Son family home, and the two of them went inside.  
"Mom! Goten!" He yelled as they stepped inside.  
Almost instantly Chi-Chi came into view from the kitchen, and only seconds later the sound of little feet behind them signalled Goten coming in from outside.  
"What is it Gohan?" Chi-Chi asked.  
"I have something to tell you, maybe I should have told you this before but I didn't want to get your hopes up."  
"What do you mean?"  
"When I talked to dad a couple of weeks ago he said one thing I didn't want to tell you about at the time. You see he knew about my feelings for Videl starting to develop, and he said he'd come back for the wedding. So Videl and I are going to New-Namek to wish him back."  
Goten as always reacted with a goofy smile and a lot of happiness jumping up and down and singing, "I'm going to meet daddy." Over and over again.  
Chi-Chi on the other hand just about fainted, sinking to the couch with a dazed look.  
"Mom are you all right?" Gohan asked.  
"She'll be fine." Videl replied. "Why don't you get your little brother out of here because he's a bit noisy, and I'll take care of your mom."  
She shot him a look that plainly said, 'Now and I mean it.', and he and Goten went outside.  
  
When the two boys had left Videl sat down on the couch next to Chi-Chi. Taking the older woman's hand and just holding it, waiting for her to calm down a bit before doing anything else.  
"Why didn't he tell me before?" Chi-Chi finally managed to stammer.  
"I think this is why." Videl replied. "He didn't want you to have to go through this when it wasn't certain that Goku would come back. Goku said he was coming back for Gohan's wedding, and if things hadn't worked out between the two of us that would probably still be years away. I guess he just didn't want you to have to face the possibility of disappointment."  
"It's just so much to take in right now." Chi-Chi said.  
"I can understand that. What do you think I felt when Gohan popped the whole, we have to go to an alien world to get your father in law, story on me?"  
Chi-Chi let out a small chuckle. "I think that would be a bit much as well."  
"Believe me it was, but not nearly as much as you must be going through now, a life time of memories must be surfacing right now."  
"They are, but it's getting better, don't worry."  
"Good, you'll have to hold down the fort with Goten while Gohan and I go to New-Namek."  
"Well that shouldn't be too long, you can just wish yourselves there."  
"No, Gohan wants to make a permanent passage, but he needs both Dragons to do that, so we'll be going over to Bulma's to borrow a spaceship."  
"Now Videl, you know I want grandchildren, but..."  
"Don't worry Chi-Chi, we'll behave ourselves."  
"Good, now why don't you go get Gohan and head out to Bulma's I'll be fine."  
"If you're sure..."  
"I am, don't worry about it, now go."  
  
"Is mom all right?" Was the first thing Gohan asked when he saw Videl leave the house.  
"She's fine don't worry." Videl replied, her tone easing his nerves somewhat.  
"Okay, then let's get going, we need to get back to Capsule Corp. to get that space ship."  
"Let's go."  
Gohan took to the air, feeling more at ease than he had since they'd interrupted their previous journey to Capsule Corporation.  
He could see Videl smile as she flew next to him, he'd been able to sense her worries about him before and now he could sense her relief. It was good to have this weight of his shoulders.  
It only took them about twenty minutes to get to Capsule Corp. definite proof that Videl was getting faster day-by-day.  
As usual they landed in the backyard and headed in the kitchen door. Finding Bulma bend over, working on some gizmo at the kitchen table.  
"Hi Bulma." Gohan said. Chuckling in his thoughts at the sudden and shocked way Bulma looked up.  
"Oh, hi Gohan, hi Videl." Bulma said seeing who had just come in. "What can I do for you?"  
"Well," Gohan said, "this may come as a bit of a shock to you, I actually only just told mom about it before coming here, but my dad's coming back."  
"What?" Bulma yelled in surprise. "But I thought he wanted to stay in other world because he was afraid he'd attract evil and danger to Earth."  
"He did, but he figured that if no one came for him in the last seven years, no one's going to now. And I have to say I agree."  
"So why are you here, do you need to Dragon Radar so you can get the balls to wish yourself to New-Namek?"  
"Actually I wanted to borrow a Z-48."  
Bulma blinked at him several times. "You want to go by space-ship, why?"  
"Well I don't just want to go there, I want to make a permanent passage for future use. But Dende says that's beyond Shen Long's and even beyond Porunga's power, so I have to make the wish to both of them at the same time. Anyway, you know how impatient those Dragons are, so I can't wish myself to Namek and then leave Shen Long waiting for Porunga. That means I'll be using a Z-48 to get there if you'll lend me one, and then when I get to New-Namek and get the Balls, I'll contact Piccolo who's promised to get the Balls here on Earth for me and we'll make the wish to both Dragon's at once."  
"Don't you need to speak Namek to make the wish to Porunga?"  
"You do, but that shouldn't be a problem, I'm sure the Nameks will be glad to help, and I might not needed, I've been spending some free time with Dende over the years and I learned some of the language."  
"I guess you would. Must be Chi-Chi's influence on you, always studying in one way or another."  
"So what type of gravitron does the Z-48 have, I might want to do some training while we're on our way?" Gohan asked.  
"Oh the new type, up to 500 times gravity, though if you want to train in that, Videl should leave the room or get into one of the grav suits."  
"Grav suits?" Videl asked.  
"They're similar to the gravitron." Bulma said. "They create artificial gravity, but only around the person that's wearing them, because they work the same way, they cancel out the gravitrons effects. There's a supply of them on board, in case the gravitron fails, or if it malfunctions the way it did when Goku went to Namek."  
"What happened then?" Videl wanted to know.  
"Well Goku ran into a magnetic storm, and from what my dad tells me, it made the gravitron go haywire. Gravity shot to its maximum of 100 G's, Goku barely survived back then. Because the suit is stand alone it's isolated from things like magnetic storms. The new ships have sensors to warn you of them, so you can suit up just in case. The gravitron is hooked into the ships systems so it can't be fully isolated and remains vulnerable, that's one of the reasons to have the suits, to cancel out any unwanted gravity effects in such a situation."  
"So do you have my size?" Videl asked. "I think I may need one."  
"Actually I based the grav suits on my reproduction Saiyan armour, they can be stretched to about ten times their original size. The Saiyan armour, even the reproduction, can stretch further, but because off the technology that's in there this is rather more limited. But even with just ten times stretching, one size fits all."  
The discussion then went on with Videl asking about Saiyan armour and Bulma and Gohan answering her questions. When Videl's curiosity had been satisfied Bulma told Gohan that their ship would be waiting at CC the next day, stocked with food and everything, and Gohan and Videl left after thanking her.  
  
Videl let out a sigh as she sat down on her couch that evening. After their visit to CC, Gohan had taken her shopping, saying she needed some more clothes before they left for New-Namek. She'd known he was right, but she still didn't like going shopping, it was too girly for her taste.  
He'd taken her to several stores, and she'd always ended up buying normal, sensible things, like jeans and t-shirts. To her surprise he hadn't tried to change that. Most guys she knew had been quite clear about wanting to change her, they never said it in so many words, but all of them seemed to want her to fully embrace her feminine side, Gohan didn't. He just wanted her to be herself. He'd been the one that made her realise just how important that was. To have someone be there for her, not for Videl Satan, not for the daughter of Hercule, but just for Videl. She looked at her luggage that was lying on the coffee table ready for tomorrow, two large travel bag caps, filled with clothes. What she had with her should be enough for at least two weeks. And that should be plenty, Bulma had done the math back at CC and had called in the evening telling them that a little over a week would be enough to get them to New-Namek.  
// It only took Goku 6 days to get to Namek in the series, but New Namek is a lot farther away than Namek was so it takes longer, even with the faster space ship.   
Videl could still barely belief it, she was going into space tomorrow.  
Ah well. She thought. Might as well go to bed now, no sense in starting my space adventures tired.  
  
The next morning Videl woke up to a knock on her bedroom door.  
"Are you decent?" Gohan's voice called from the other side.  
"Just a minute." She called, getting out of bed and changing into her normal clothes in less than one. "Okay, you can come in now."  
"Some quick dressing there Videl." Gohan said.  
"What do you mean?" She asked. Feigning ignorance. "I've been up for a while."  
"Don't lie to me." Gohan said. "I could tell from your Ki that you were asleep."  
"All right so I was. I just didn't want you to think of me as lazy."  
"Don't worry about it, we all need our sleep. Besides we have a big day ahead, it's good to know that you're well rested."  
"What do you mean, a big day? Sure we'll be leaving, but that's hardly going to take a lot of energy."  
"We'll see. We'll be continuing your training while we're in space, maybe even in raised gravity, so you'll need a lot of energy before the day is through."  
"I can't wait, I really want to train. I hardly had time to do anything yesterday with all the flying around we did."  
"That could be considered a way of training too. I don't know if you noticed but it only took 20 minutes to get to CC yesterday. And you were even quicker after shopping even if you did insist on carrying your own bags."  
She smiled inwardly, just hanging with Gohan was a form of training she supposed. It was no wonder that Chi-Chi was one of the strongest women on Earth, she had to be able to handle first her husband, and now her sons.  
  
After breakfast and Gohan and Videl took some time to double-check everything they'd packed, while Goten and Chi-Chi left for Capsule Corporation on the Nimbus. Actually Chi-Chi rode the Nimbus while Goten flew alongside it. Gohan had smiled as he saw them take off, Goten was so proud and happy he could fly by himself now he'd periodically refused to sit on the Nimbus with his mother.  
After checking that he had all of his bags, or rather their capsules, Gohan went over to Videl's capsule house. He found her in the bedroom, still rummaging through a final bag, checking to be sure she had everything she needed.  
"So do you think you have everything?" He asked, walking up behind her and gently kissing the back of her neck.  
"I think I do." She replied. Closing and Capsulating the bag. "So let's get going."   
"One more thing," Videl said as the left the house, "do you think we should take this Capsule house with us?"  
"We could, but I don't see a need to, there should be plenty of room to stay in the ship."  
"Well I'll put it back in its cap and take it anyway, better safe than sorry after all."  
"Okay."  
Gohan waited patiently while Videl capsulated the house and put the capsule in her cap-box, along with her luggage and some other essentials.  
"Let's go." She said, putting the box in her pocket and taking to the air, closely followed by Gohan.  
  
The trip to CC took a little less than twenty minutes this time. Everybody was there already to send them off. Though Gohan had only told a few people, the news of Goku's imminent return had travelled like wild fire among the Z gang and they'd all gathered again at Bulma's to send of the two space-farers.  
The space ship was standing ready in the back yard. Next to all the other small changes it was slightly bigger than the old Z-15's had been.  
"So is it ready to go?" Gohan asked Bulma as soon as he'd landed.  
"Ready and waiting. The course is pre-programmed, and it has an automatic collision avoidance system. It has a hyper speed connection to CC headquarters so you can always call me if there is a problem, and you can also receive TV at hyper speed, there's enough bandwidth on the antenna to send it to you."  
"Thanks," Videl said, "it'll be good to keep up with the news and we'll have something to do besides training. I'm afraid Gohan might wear me out otherwise."  
"You're welcome, now get going."  
"Okay." Gohan said. "We will just as soon was we say good bye to everyone."  
Gohan and Videl made their way through the crowd, shaking hands with everyone, thanking them for good wishes, and finally spending almost ten minutes to calm Chi-Chi down enough to be able to leave without having to worry about her.  
Finally the farewells were taken care off and they boarded the space ship.   
  
"I'm glad that's over." Gohan said as he sat strapped into his seat waiting for the count down to start.  
"What?" Videl asked, though she had a pretty good idea.  
"Saying good-bye to mom." Gohan replied. "I think Roshi once described her as the only thing scarier than a Super-Saiyan and I sometimes think he was right. Now don't get me wrong, I love her, but when she gets mad, or otherwise emotional, it can be really scary."  
// It's actually the only thing more powerful than a Super-Saiyan, but even Gohan has to get things wrong every now and then doesn't he. Besides I made this mistake, and when my sister pointed it out, I didn't feel like changing it, because the real quote doesn't really fit.  
Videl chuckled. "I know what you mean, she does seem to have a bit of a temper."  
"Actually I'm usually thankful for that." Gohan said. "I inherited that temper, when I get really mad my strength increases dramatically, I get that from her."  
Videl just nodded.  
Just then Bulma's voice came out of the speaker on the instrument panel.  
"Okay you guys, good luck and bring back Goku. There's a Dragon Radar aboard and Piccolo has the other one, so everything should be all right on that front. Now here comes the count down. Vegeta!"  
"No way woman."  
"Come on Vegeta you gave Frieza a countdown on Namek, Gohan told me about it, so now be a good boy and do the same for your wife or I'll take you shopping."  
"Fine, * talking really fast * ten-nine-eight-seven-six-five-four-three-two-one."  
"Lift off." Bulma said.   
Gohan and Videl could hear the roar of the engine starting and the ship shot up, they were pressed a bit more firmly into their seats as it accelerated the first few seconds, but soon the gravitron compensated and they could get up.  
  
"Shall we have a look around?" Gohan asked as he unbuckled just as the left the atmosphere.  
"Why not." Videl said, following his example and freeing herself from her chair as well. "Though I must say this looks a lot like an empty room to me."  
"Well this is empty, it's where we'll train later, but we can get furniture here, Bulma explained the whole thing to me some time ago." Gohan said. Pressing a button on the wall.  
Instantly part of the floor turned over and a couch appeared. He pushed a few more buttons and some chairs came out of the floor like the couch, while a monitor folded down out of the ceiling.  
"There now we're all set." He stated. "We can watch TV now. The view screen is also for visual communications."  
"So what else is hidden like that?" Videl asked.  
"Nothing." Gohan said. "This is everything we can conjure up here, for everything else we'll have to go down-stairs."  
With those words he led her to the other side of the ship where there was a spiral staircase leading to the lower deck.  
  
After they'd descended to the lower floor of the ship Videl looked around. The stairs, were at what you might call the back of the ship, the side that was farthest from the instruments and controls, though technically, calling this the back meant that they were flying upwards.  
She sighed, appointing directions to something spherical was best done by just doing what seemed right.  
"Gohan." She said. "Do you mind if we call this the back, where the controls are the front, and the direction we're flying in up."  
"Seems reasonable to me." He replied. "You'd expect the controls to be the front even though we're flying up."  
"Good. Now what do we have down here?"  
"Well the large room directly ahead is the kitchen."  
They were facing the door to the kitchen so a quick walk down the hall got them there. The kitchen took up the front half of this floor. Well almost half anyway. It had a normal kitchen counter and a large table in it, as well as a big fridge, and a Cappuccino machine clearly this place was meant to feed Saiyans.  
/* For those of you that don't remember when Goku wants to leave for Namek dr. Brief tells him the ship isn't ready yet. So Goku starts asking questions and it turns out that it isn't ready yet, because the Cappuccino machine hasn't been installed yet, dr. Brief couldn't find a good place to put it. */  
"What's this?" Videl asked as she looked into the fridge, seeing that it wasn't full and only contained a lot of caps. "Why isn't there any food in here?"  
"There is." Gohan said. "All those caps are storage caps, filled with food. Since this fridge was here already this was more efficient than using fridge caps. The fridge size hasn't changed from the old model and when my dad used that he had the thing cleaned out in two meals, so taking the normal food doesn't work with Saiyans on board."  
"Okay, so what else is on this floor?"  
"Just the bathroom and the bedrooms."  
They walked out into the corridor again.  
"The bathroom is the big room on the left." Gohan said. "And the two bedrooms are on the right."  
  
Just as he was showing Videl around the bathroom, with a big bathtub, because Bulma wanted to be able to soak if she ever had to use it, Gohan felt something strange.  
He looked over to Videl to see she looked shocked. She must have felt the same thing. So he couldn't be imagining it. But how, how was this possible.  
As he looked at her she turned to face him and their eyes met. He motioned to the door, with his head and she nodded. Slowly they left the bathroom, crossed the corridor and entered the bedroom nearest to the stairs.  
The sight that greeted them, though not wholly unexpected, came as a bit of a shock. On one of the two beds in the room sat Goten and Trunks. They were sitting there cross-legged and were apparently playing some sort of card game.  
"What are you guys doing here?" Gohan asked shocked.  
"We just wanted to say good-bye here before you took off." Goten said looking innocent. "Trunks said you'd take a tour of the ship first."  
"No." Gohan replied, trying to remain calm. "We just took off a while ago."  
"WHAT!?" Goten and Trunks both shouted.  
"That's right, we're in space." Videl said. "Looks like we'll have to go back."  
"But that'll take a week at least." Gohan said. "Because we just left the Solar system there are no planets near, and we need a planetary gravity well to break or manoeuvre with any manner of speed. The manoeuvring and retro thruster-systems don't' have enough power to turn us quickly without using a gravity slingshot."  
"So we're stuck on board?" Trunks asked.  
"Yeah." Gohan said. "And now we'll have the pleasure of using the comm. system to tell your moms about this."  
Both boys looked seriously scared at this point and Gohan wasn't feeling too happy either.  
  
Gohan, Goten and Trunks let out a triple sigh as the sat on the couch face the view screen. Videl was at the controls.  
"Any minute now." She called, punching the comm. activation button.  
"You two get out of here for a sec." Gohan told the two younger demi-Saiyans. "I'll take the brunt of the assault and then you come in as back up when I give you a hand signal."   
The two youngsters nodded eagerly and headed to a point behind the camera.  
"Gohan." Videl asked. "Why do you make this sound like you're planning to defend against an invasion?"  
"Because I am. My mom and Bulma are going to just about scream me to death. I can't let the little guys sit through the first part of it. That would be to cruel, I remember what my mom was like when I told her I was going to Namek with Bulma and Krillin."  
"Okay the connection should become active in a few seconds."  
Just then the screen activated, showing some static first and then Bulma.  
"Hey Gohan." Bulma said. "Why are you calling?"  
"Oh, uh, I have something to tell you, but is my mom still there?"  
"Yeah I'm here." Chi-Chi said walking into view. "We can't seem to find Goten and Trunks so I have to wait for the little guy to show up before I can go back home."  
"Well that's what I wanted to talk to you about. It looks like the little guys wanted to say good-bye to Videl and me on the ship, and they didn't realise we'd taken off."  
Their response was like he'd expected, motherhood seemed to give of a standard pattern of thought because the two women responded in stereo.  
"WHAT! MY ADORABLE LITTLE BABY IS ON THAT SHIP, BUT HOW..." Gohan just stopped listening at this point or at least tried to. After about fifteen minutes of the two women screaming their heads of it seemed they had to pause for breath and he decided to try to reason with them.  
"Come on guys, it isn't that bad. I was even younger than them when I first went to Namek. Besides they're already way stronger than I was then."  
He gave the hand signal and Goten and Trunks came into view of the camera and sat down next to him. They seemed a bit shaken from the way they'd just heard their moms scream.  
"Hi mom." They chirped in unison.  
"Goten darling are you alright?"  
"Sure mom I'm fine." Goten replied.  
"Me too mom." Trunks said before Bulma could even ask anything.  
"Well what do you boys have to say for yourselves?" Chi-Chi asked.  
"We thought Videl and Gohan would look around the whole ship before taking off so we decided to hide in the bedroom to give them a surprise." Trunks said.  
"What were you boys thinking taking a chance like that?" Bulma said. "But I suppose what's done is done. It'll only be for a couple of weeks anyway and Gohan should be able to materialise clothes for you when you need them."  
She and Chi-Chi talked to all three boys some more, repeatedly threatening Gohan with a horrible fate should he let anything happen to their sons, until finally the connection was closed.  
Gohan let out a sigh of relief when the screen flickered back to static and then went black.  
"Well I'm glad that's over." He said. "I suppose it could have been worse, they could have continued yelling the whole time."  
"Yeah." Trunks said. "I thought they were going to kill us by yelling and they could too."  
"Tell me about it squirt." Gohan said. "But that's not what I'm worried about right now."  
"What do you mean?" Goten asked.  
"I just remembered, there is only enough food aboard for 64 courses a meal, 4 for Videl and 60 for me. So that means that we'll only have 20 courses a meal each."  
"WHAT!" Both Trunks and Goten looked horrified at the prospect. Gohan didn't exactly feel good about it himself. To any growing or teenage Saiyan a twenty-course meal hardly went past the appetizer stage. Goten despised meatloaf, but even he would eat two dozen servings of that at least.  
"And there's another thing." Gohan said. "What are we going to do for sleeping arrangements now that there's four of us and only two bed-rooms?"  
"That's not a big problem." Videl said. "There's two beds in each room."  
"Yeah, who's going to sleep in which room?"  
"Well, they boys can share one and we can share the other."  
"But we can't sleep in the same room, that's going to look odd."  
"Come on, Gohan, this is no time to be modest. Besides otherwise you might wake one or both of them when you go to bed, and I don't want us to have to deal with sleepless Super-Saiyans in the middle of the night."  
"Oh all right then."  
  
Later that evening Goten and Trunks had gone to sleep in one of the bedrooms, young Saiyans slept a lot, and even more when they didn't get enough food.  
Videl and Gohan were sitting on the couch watching the news on TV. When the news finished Gohan turned it off and looked at Videl.  
"How about some training?" He asked.  
"Sure, why not." Videl replied.  
"Good, you go warm up and I'll turn on the gravitron."  
Gohan walked over to the instrument panel and switched it to gravitron control, the couch, chairs and TV were automatically cleared away as he pushed a few buttons and the gravity increased by a factor of five.  
Videl's movements seemed relatively unhindered by it on the surface, but he could tell that each move she made used a lot of Ki. That was the effect any gravity training was aiming for so he figured this level was perfect. He walked back into the 'room' and pushed a button on the wall to bring down a metal protection screen between the controls and the rest of the room, to prevent any damage.  
"Let's spar." Was all he said as Videl dropped into a stance to face him.  
  
Videl knew she had no hope in the spar with Gohan. Not if he really fought her anyway. But she knew that wasn't what he was doing now, he was just training her. Moving under five times gravity turned out to be harder then she'd expected though it didn't seem to bother Gohan, but then this was her training not his.  
"This is so frustrating." She sighed as he once again dodged her attacks with ease. "This gravity has me panting just to stand up and you don't even feel it."  
"Don't be so hard on yourself Videl." Gohan said. "Precious few humans could stand up in this gravity at all. So we'll just train until you need to go to bed and I think you'll be surprised at how much you'll have improved in the morning."  
About an hour later Videl was completely exhausted. Even though Gohan had deactivated the gravitron her legs felt like it was still on, and on a higher setting.  
"I really need to go to bed now." She told him. "Are you coming?"  
"No, I'll be there later." Gohan said. "I'm going to train for a bit myself before turning in. I'll try not to wake you."  
Videl nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow then."  
She forced her body down the stairs and into her room into bed. Gohan would be joining her in the room when he was done, but not in her bed, they had separate beds.  
It wasn't long after her face had hit the pillow that Videl fell asleep, completely exhausted from the gravity training and a long day in general.  
  
Gohan trained for a while in two hundred times gravity, a rather challenging level as he didn't allow himself to go super. After going through a few series of kicks and punches, he switched to some sit ups and one finger push ups before going downstairs, almost as exhausted as Videl had seemed.  
Videl was already a sleep when he tiptoed into their room. He shot a look at her sleeping form, breathing so softly and peacefully.  
She's even beautiful when she's asleep like this. He thought. What did I ever do to deserve someone like her?  
// I can think of a few times he saved the world but that's beside the point.  
He got his pj's and went to the bathroom to change and brush his teeth. When he returned Videl was still asleep. He could hear her mumble his name, apparently dreaming about him and smiled. He'd probably mumble hers in return a few times during the course of the night.  
Still smiling he got into bed, where he soon drifted off to dreamland.  
  
"He's still asleep."  
"Maybe we should throw water on him."  
"Videl's still sleeping too."  
"Maybe we should throw water on both of them."  
Two youthful voices filled with mischief could be heard at the edge of Gohan's consciousness as he started to wake up.  
"Okay Trunks, I'll go get the water."   
This had to be Goten, Gohan's semi-conscious mind thought. And if he's already getting the water I'd better think off something quick.  
He smirked in thought as inspiration struck and pretended to be asleep while keeping an eye on his brother's Ki as it moved into the bathroom and then came back a little while later.  
He opened his eyes a tiny bit as Goten came back into the room, with a glass of water in each hand.  
Goten and Trunks positioned themselves by his and Videl's beds and then Trunks counted down.  
"Three, two, one. Go."  
Just as the little boy said go, Gohan extended his Ki, to form a horizontal blanket over both him and Videl, evaporating the water just before it hit.  
"Morning squirts." He said, sitting up in bed with a grin.  
"Aw, that not fair Gohan." Trunks called. "When did you wake up?"  
"Right around he's still asleep." Gohan said.   
"Why didn't you say something big brother?" Goten asked.  
"I just wanted to see what you two squirts came up with." Gohan replied. "But why did you have this urge to wake us in the first place?"  
"Well we want to eat."  
"Okay, Videl and I will be there for breakfast in a while, now you two get out of here."  
Goten and Trunks both smiled happily and ran out of the room, towards the kitchen.  
"Gohan," Videl mumbled in a sleepy voice, "what's going on?"  
Gohan smiled. "Goten and Trunks decided that we'd slept enough and they want breakfast. I told them we'd be there in a little while so we have to get up."  
"Hmm, can't I just have a few more minutes?"  
"No, those two will tear this ship apart if we don't get out there soon. I'll go change in the bathroom so you can have some privacy here."  
Gohan picked up his Gi and left the room, crossing the corridor and entering the bathroom.  
Once he got to the bathroom it didn't take him long to get dressed and head out to the kitchen.  
  
Videl had a bit of a struggle to get up. Some of her muscles were lightly sore from training the previous night and she really wanted to get some more sleep, but Gohan was right, it was time to get up.  
After about a minute of lying there, yelling at herself in thought she finally got up and dressed. After taking another moment to comb her hair she went to the kitchen where she could already sense all three demi-Saiyan Kis.  
"Morning guys." She greeted as she entered the kitchen.  
"Good morning Videl." Gohan said, walking over and giving her a kiss.  
"Ewww." Goten called. "No kissy-kissy."  
While Trunks made some gagging noises.  
"So what are we going to do today?" Videl asked when the kiss had ended.  
"I want to get in some heavy training." Gohan said. "I want to see what I can do under 500 times gravity. Other than that, I don't think there are any plans, besides eating breakfast, lunch and dinner."  
"What are we going to do?" Trunks asked. "This place is boring."  
"Well you guys can train, and I'll ask Bulma to upload some games to the ships computer so you can play those. Other than that, you can watch TV, there's not much else to do."  
"I'm going to train." Videl said. "I'll have to wear a grav suit to train at the same time you do, but from what I've seen they can go up to ten times normal gravity as well, so that should be plenty for the time being."  
  
The next six days passed with a standard pattern. Gohan would meditate rather than sleep at nights, but otherwise their pattern was identical to that of the first day.   
In the morning everything started of with breakfast, after which Goten and Trunks would go play computer games while Videl and Gohan would train.  
Then after lunch Goten and Trunks would each be complaining that the other had cheated at their games in the morning and would also train.   
After dinner Bulma and Chi-Chi, who was staying at Capsule Corp., would call to fuss over the two youngest members of the group.  
Finally in the evening they would watch some TV before Trunks and Goten would go to bed and Videl and Gohan would get in some more training before Videl went to bed and Gohan started his meditations.  
The seventh day, the last day of their trip, also followed the pattern, until lunch. Gohan ordered the others into their seats as they started their final approach to Namek.  
  
Videl smiled as she looked at Gohan who was in the seat next to her. She'd become a lot stronger thanks to him. And now they were about to land on an alien world together. The ship began to shake as it entered the atmosphere. The gravitron couldn't fully compensate for the turbulence.  
Videl could feel the ship using planetary gravity to turn itself so it could use its main engine to break for it's landing.  
A few minutes later the engine fired and they touched down.  
"We're here." Gohan announced, getting up again. "If Bulma did everything right, and knowing her she probably did, we should be a couple of hundred miles south of the Nameks' settlement. I suggest we capsulate the ship and fly there first, then we can start looking for the Dragon Balls after that."  
"Okay." Videl said.  
As Goten and Trunks yelled: "Let's go!"  
The left the ship and once outside Gohan capsulated it and put it in his pocket before the four of them took off, heading north.  
They'd gone about a hundred miles when Gohan came to a sudden stop in mid air. Videl could barely stop fast enough to prevent herself from crashing into him.  
Goten and Trunks stopped as well all three off them now following Gohan's gaze to the west.  
"Do you see that?" Gohan asked.  
"Yeah." Videl said. "Looks like a big space-ship landing."  
Goten and Trunks nodded.  
"Not just any big space-ship." Gohan said. Sounding worried. "From what I can tell it's an exact replica off Frieza's flagship."  
  
/*  
What's this, what is a ship that looks like Frieza's doing here? Is this some new evil force to do with the Cold family? But how is that possible when Mirai Trunks defeated both the king and his son. Find out next time on life is strange.  
  
Well that's it for Chapter 9, sorry it took a bit long to write but I've had a lot of other things to do as well. Anyway I left you cliffhung again.   
// Shows how mean I am, I'm starting to use 'to Cliffhang' as a verb.  
Now you'll all have to wait for the next chapter to see what evil force I've concocted, if indeed I've concocted an evil force at all. One hint, it's not going to be Lady Queen's evil-little-brother, not even a fusion of him and me, evil little brothers unite :).  
Another hint, it's not Cooler, since I can't be bothered to integrate the movies with the series, which from what I've heard is frankly impossible, Cooler hasn't been born in this AU.  
Anyway, please review and tell me what you think.  
*/ 


	10. Heir Of The Cold-Empire?

/*  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ isn't mine, Gohan is, well in my dreams he is at any rate.  
  
Anything between /* and */ is just me budding in, so is anything after // up until the next hard return.  
For those of you that realised, I'm trying to learn to program in C++ as a hobby, that's the origin of the commentary codes.  
  
*/  
  
/*  
General remark. I've decided to take a new approach to some of my notes by moving them collectively to the bottom of the chapter. There will numbered references in the text. Tell me if you like this better than the old system, or would prefer to see that reinstated.  
*/  
  
/*  
Extra Warning: rather a lot of fighting in this chapter, thought I should let you know in advance.  
*/  
  
/*   
  
Response to reviews:  
  
To Pteska:   
Thanks sis as requested by B, and you, here's the rest. As for the be afraid, be very afraid, you wish.  
  
To Johnny Rage:  
Why did I bring Frieza&co into this? You'll see. In the words of George Armstrong Custer, "Don't worry, I have a plan." Okay, so he said it just before the battle at Little Big Horn, also known as Custer's last stand if I'm not mistaken, but that's beside the point :). It will all become clear in this chapter and the next, mostly the next actually.  
  
To Lady Queen:  
No fair, you not telling your little bro who I am, I let you and Pteska know about each other. Just shows who the real evil parties are in the big sister little brother relationship.  
I don't have a problem writing technical stuff myself, not much anyway, for example this chapter includes the term 'triaxular magnetic field'. But you should just stick with what you're comfortable writing about.  
It isn't really Frieza and King Cold, but you'll have to wait to the next chapter to see exactly who and what it is.  
Pulls out megaphone: "Evil little brothers of the world unite against your evil big sisters."  
  
To Frozenflower:  
It's not Frieza, but you'll have to wait till the next chapter. I'm afraid there isn't a whole lot of Trunks and Goten, but there is some.  
  
To JessIchi:  
Like I said at the end of Chapter 9, Cooler wasn't born in this AU, because I can't fit those movies in with the general story line, so no, it's not Cooler, wait for the next chapter to see who it is.  
  
To kat:  
Frieza does/did have a brother, Cooler, who is in some of the movies, but he's not in this fic, or in this AU for that matter.  
  
To Barret9559:  
My first e-mailed review, thanks. You really didn't have to go through all the trouble of working out that movie stuff for me, but I appreciate it. It probably won't be too much help for this fic, since I've decided to ignore the movies here, except for the flashbacks to the first movie during the Garlic Junior saga. But it may come in handy in the future. I rarely use the Japanese terms, (at least in this story) but can follow them.  
  
To Everyone:  
Thanks, I just love reviews.  
  
*/  
  
Life Is Strange  
  
Saga: The Heir Of The Cold-Empire  
  
Chapter 10: Heir Of The Cold-Empire?  
  
"We have to go check this out." Gohan said, not even waiting for a reply before he took off toward the landing space ship.  
"Wait up Gohan." Videl yelled as she shot of after him, with the two little guys hot on her heels.  
To her surprise Videl noticed that she was capable of keeping up with the other three. At least now that they were in their normal state, but it was taking nearly all off her energy to do so and she was reasonably sure the others weren't going at it with their full power.  
Suddenly a huge roar filled the air as what looked on first glance like five or so meteorites shot down just a few hundred feet in front of them.  
The group came to a halt in mid-air and Videl heard Gohan mumble a single word.  
"Pods."  
When she looked down to the impact craters she saw that the 'meteorites' were indeed small spherical metal space pods.  
"What's happening here?" She asked nobody in particular.  
"I think we'd all like to know that." Gohan replied. "But for now I think it would be best to head to the Namek Village, because there are more pods coming in all over the place."  
Videl looked around and noticed a lot of pods, signalled by the streaks of fire caused by the heat of their entry, coming down, mostly in the direction of the ship, but some seemed to be coming down in other directions as well.  
"Okay, let's go."  
"Go super okay guys." Gohan said, doing the same himself. "Videl, you grab onto me, this a time for speed."  
Videl nodded. She didn't really feel hurt, she knew she couldn't keep up, not yet anyway.  
  
I hope that didn't hurt her feelings. Gohan thought. But time is everything right now. Every single Namek on the planet has been dead once already, so we can't bring them back with Shen Long. That means that if Elder Mori dies our hope dies with him. Because if the keeper dies the Dragon Balls vanish.  
He couldn't help but smile a little as Videl put her arms around his neck and he grabbed on to her waist. She didn't know it yet, but she was probably stronger than most of the guys they would face. There was really only one thing that worried him, he couldn't sense anything from the main ship. Only an undefined feeling of great evil.  
With Super-Saiyan speed it only took them about two minutes to reach the Namek village, but it was already under attack. As usual the younger Nameks were fighting while the elders and children were hidden inside. Gohan let out a sigh as he sensed Mori's Ki in one of the larger houses, the Dragon Balls were still around.  
Gohan didn't waste any time to jump into the battle, nor did any of the other three. There were three main attack groups that were attacking the town. Goten and Trunks, the inseparable duo rushed to the right to face one of them.  
Gohan took on the largest group, which was the centre group.  
"You take the ones on the left." He told Videl after checking their Ki. "They shouldn't be any problem for you to handle."  
None of them are. He thought. She's already near the level of strength Vegeta was on when we first sensed him powering up on Namek. That had been enough for him to take out all but the highest elite fighters in Frieza's army. And these guys are definitely in some way connected to the Cold-empire. All of their equipment is from there and I recognise most of the races.   
He shuddered at the memory. Vegeta had massacred the men left aboard Frieza's ship, and it hadn't been a pretty sight when he and Krillin walked through its halls. Corpses were everywhere, in all kinds of poses. But now that memory did at least some good. He could positively identify his enemy. [1]  
  
Gohan didn't give himself any more time to think about it. The Nameks were strong, stronger than they had been the last time he'd met them, but there were alien fighters that were more powerful.  
An alien fighter who reminded Gohan of Dodoria fired a Ki-blast at the Namek defenders as Gohan rushed forward. The blast was huge by the standards of the battle up to that point but Gohan positioned himself in front of it and just took it without even flinching.  
The move had the desired effect, the Nameks behind him gave of a stunned silence for a while before cheering him on. The assorted aliens in front of him looked both scared and angered.  
"Come on, we can take him together." The pink blob yelled, apparently angered by the failure of his attack.  
Gohan dropped into a fighting stance. There was no reason not to make this fun by playing a little, his Saiyan battle instincts were taking over and though he would not repeat the mistake he'd made seven years earlier, he was enjoying the thrill of battle.  
Trunks and Goten clearly found this an amusing game as well. They'd dropped out of Super-Saiyan mode and were just normally fighting the enemy, doing all sorts of fancy attacks together.  
About five enemy fighters rushed forward. Three of them tried to kick his face at the same time, and two aimed punches for his stomach. But Gohan blocked and dodged all of their attacks without effort. When he countered they never knew what hit them, he moved faster than they could see to appear behind them, and deliver a few solid hits, knocking them unconscious.  
The others in the group he was facing fled, except for the large pink fighter that reminded him of Dodoria.  
I guess he's the strongest fighter in this entire attack. Gohan thought. But with some effort I think Videl could take him, he's certainly weaker than Dodoria was.  
"So it's just you and me." Gohan said. "Tell me, why are you here."  
"That is not your business." The alien said smugly. "The only thing you need to concern yourself with is your funeral, because I'm going to kill you."  
"You really think you can do that?" Gohan asked, amused. "I suggest you check your scouter."  
"I'll humour you." The alien replied, punching the scouter button to turn on the device. "Hmm. Wait this can't be right. The triaxular magnetic field we detected on this planet must be meddling with my readings."  
"Oh, no it's accurate." Gohan stated. "I'll show you."  
Hmm. How am I going to finish this guy? He thought to himself. Well, when on Namek...  
He brought to fingers up in front of his head.  
"Special Beam Cannon fire." He yelled.  
The beams shot out, the second coiling itself around the first. Gohan knew he hadn't really give the cannon time to charge up, but he didn't need to, the difference in power was so large that it didn't matter.  
A few seconds later it was all over. Pink boy had taken the impact of the beam and was left dead on the ground.  
I really don't like killing. Gohan thought. But this guy didn't really give me any choice he was too powerful to lock up.  
  
Videl felt strangely excited when she rushed into battle. This was the first time she'd get to test her new abilities in a real fight, and also the first time she'd have a Ki fight in which she was stronger than her opponents. Also she felt an adrenaline caused by the knowledge that this was a life and death thing. She was more powerful than her adversaries, but not by so much that she could afford to make too many mistakes. If she did go wrong Gohan would probably appear out of nowhere to save her, but that would certainly leave her pride wounded.  
A few Nameks were fighting her target, a group of about half a dozen unknown aliens, none of them looking friendly. She quickly read all of their Ki's and sped forward through the air, diving to shoot a series of normal Ki-blasts at them. Only three of them remained standing after that assault. The others dropped to the ground, dead, or just unconscious, she wasn't sure.  
The ones that remained standing shot her a rather surprised look as she landed again in front of the Nameks.  
Okay girl. She thought. Stay sharp, these three seem to be a little, if not a lot tougher than the others. How do we take them down? But of course...  
She raised her hands, bringing her wrists together so hard there was an audible slap, and forming an X with her arms and hands.   
"Super Twister Fire." She yelled, as the Ki charged up in her hands and then shot out.  
The situation called for the development of a new variation on her attack. Rather than letting it shoot on as a single narrow beam after the two beams joined, she made it go on as a single widening beam, hitting all three of her enemies with the one shot.  
She could feel resistance in the beam from the alien fighters and bit her lip in concentration as she mercilessly forced out her energy to keep up the attack.  
About half a minute after she'd started the attack the resistance vanished. She immediately cut of the beam and looked, to her, pleasant, surprise all three remaining aliens were now on the ground. She checked their Ki, two of them were dead and the third was out cold. Of the three that had gone down in the first round none were alive.  
She looked over to the rest of the action. Gohan was just standing in mid air, watching the kids with a smile on his face. She joined him, giving him a kiss on the lips before turning her own attention to the action on the ground as well.  
About six alien fighters were running around screaming, trying to get away. But whenever they strayed out of a circle that had been marked on the ground, Trunks or Goten would appear to push them back in. One of them was always busy doing this while the other fought the aliens. Though they didn't do this at full power. In fact Videl could sense that they weren't even using her full power, they were just fighting hard enough to match their opponents.  
It was really quite funny to watch, these grown tough aliens, running around in fear of two boys who were simply using them as cool interactive toys.  
After looking at it for a while Gohan apparently decided that it had been enough.  
"Okay guys." He called. "Playtime's over, finish it."  
Videl continued to watch fascinated as Trunks flashed over to Goten and whispered something in his ear. Goten nodded with his usual goofy eager grin.  
"What's going on there?" She asked Gohan.  
"I'm not sure." He replied. "I couldn't really make anything out over the noise. But I think they're going to do some sort of fancy move as a last bit of fun."  
Videl looked on and saw the two boys lock arms, Goten facing one way and Trunks facing the other. They stuck out their free arms, forming fists and then started to spin together really fast. Moving like that, as a sort of miniature tornado they moved through out the area, hitting bad-guys with their out stretched fists, driving them closer together until they were pressed against one an other.  
Then Trunks went to one side of the group and Goten to the other. Both charging up their Ki.  
"Ka...Me...Ha...Me...Ha..." Goten shouted.  
"Gallick Gun Fire." Trunks called.  
The two Ki-blasts shot out at about the same time, meeting at the group of unfortunate villains who were standing there, half way between the two boys. The blast only lasted for a moment. And when Videl saw the ground again all that remained were some scorch marks, the aliens had been completely incinerated.  
  
As they landed in front of some of the Nameks, Gohan registered the look of surprise on the green warriors' faces.  
"Thank you for helping us." One of them said. "But who are you?"  
Gohan smiled as he transformed back into normal. He had changed a lot over the years so he wasn't surprised at not being recognised.  
"My name is Gohan." He said simply. "I need to speak with Elder Mori as soon as possible."  
"THE Gohan." The Namek asked.  
"Yes, Dende's friend." Gohan replied. "But much as I'd love to chat, I really must see Mori. I'm not sure what's happening here, but if this battle is any indication these aliens don't have good intentions."  
"I will take you to him." The Namek replied. Leading Gohan to the big house where he'd sensed Mori earlier.  
  
The inside of the house reminded Gohan of Guru's house on Namek. The throne Mori was seated on was a lot smaller though. Gohan could sense that like Guru's Mori's throne, and its location, enabled him to know much of what happened on New Namek.  
"Ah, welcome Gohan." Mori said, getting up of the throne. "It seems that we meet again in turbulent times."  
"We do indeed Mori. Though I had no knowledge of the turbulence when I decided to come here. But that matter will have to wait for the time being. Do you have any idea who we're dealing with here? It's clear to me that these are forces of what used to be the Cold-empire, but why are they here, and who is their leader?"  
"I'm not completely sure. But I believe they are here for the Dragon Balls. They must have somehow learned of our continued existence and the existence of the Dragon Balls. I suppose that like Frieza they have their own dark purposes to want to use the Dragon's power."  
"And their leader? All I can sense from the flag-ship is great evil, but not a clear Ki reading."  
"I'm afraid I don't know either. All I can tell you is that he is powerful, and evil. But then you seem to be a lot more powerful then you were the last time we met as well."  
"I guess I am, I'm a Super-Saiyan now. I have been for seven years. But then it was ten years ago that we last met. As for the Dragon Balls, am I right in assuming you have one here?"  
"Yes I do."  
"Good, that way as long as this place is protected they won't be able to complete the set. Though I'm hoping to collect them myself. I have a wish I need Porunga for."  
"What is it, if I might ask?'  
"My father died in the Cell-games, I want to bring him back, and our Dragon still can't bring back those who have died before. Also I have a second wish, but that isn't important now. "  
"Of course you may use our Dragon Balls. But I'm afraid you'll probably have to face whoever is leading the enemy before you can."  
"I think that's almost inevitable. But we'll have to wait and see."  
"I suppose so, now why don't we go outside so you can introduce me to the rest of your group."  
  
Videl watched the building Gohan had entered intently from the moment the door closed to the moment it opened again. She was curious as to what was happening in there. From what she could tell this 'Elder' was the leader of the Nameks, how did you approach such a man? From what Gohan had told her the Nameks only had one gender, did you even call him a man?  
She was surprised when she saw Gohan come out, apparently just chatting with a somewhat short, and undoubtedly rather old, Namek.   
Is that him? She wondered. And is Gohan really just chatting with him like that, shouldn't he be, I don't know, bowing or something? I know I should have bought a 'What to do when you meet the leader of an alien world' info-book.  
"So tell me," she heard Gohan say as the two approached, "how's your potting, had any time to work on your swing since you left Earth?"  
He's talking golf with an alien in the middle of a crisis??? Videl's mind screamed.   
"Well I don't have as much time as I like, but I have managed to keep in practice. We have a great eighteen hole course in the hills not far from here, if it wasn't for this crisis we could play a few rounds."  
"I'm not that into golf, and you're probably still the Namek champion, so I think I'll pass."  
"Actually I lost my title in last year's tournament, some of the pupils form my golf class have managed to surpass their master."  
"My condolences, now let me introduce you, this is my little brother Goten, his best friend, Trunks, and my fiancée Videl. Guys, this is Elder Mori."  
"How do you do, it's a pleasure to meet you." Mori stated.  
Videl and the kids mumbled something in return.  
"I am curious though," Mori continued, "what is a fiancée?"  
"Ah you wouldn't know of course." Gohan said. "I keep forgetting you people are asexual and don't have the concept of romantic love, link with me telepathically and I'll tell you."  
To Videl's surprise Gohan bend down allowing Mori to place a hand on his head. The two of them closed their eyes for several minutes, standing frozen in place.  
"I see." Mori said as they opened their eyes again and resumed their normal posture. "my congratulations to both of you."  
"Thank you." Videl mumbled, still a bit surprised at what she'd just seen.  
"So what's the plan big brother?" Goten asked.  
"We'll have to talk that over. But we'll certainly have to go looking for the Dragon Balls. Mori has the one star ball here, but the others are scattered over the planet."  
"Shouldn't we leave some one here in case there are more attacks?" Videl asked.  
"That's probably a good idea. Would you kids mind staying here?" Gohan asked, turning to Trunks and Goten.  
The two boys turned to each other and started to whisper excitedly.   
If I've gotten to know these two, that whispering isn't' the best of signs. Videl thought. But we'll have to see. I do hope you're sure about this Gohan.  
'I am sure, trust me.' She could hear Gohan's voice echo in her head.  
'Gohan can you hear my thoughts?' She thought/asked.  
'Right now yes. I'm a bit telepathically charged from my contact with Mori. It makes it possible for me to hear your thoughts, because I feel close to you. Anyway I've got it under control, they're probably planning something, but I'll make sure they behave.'  
'All right if you say so.'  
"Okay, we'll do it." Trunks said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, causing Gohan and Videl to stop their mind conversation.  
"Good." Gohan said. "I don't mind if you have a bit of fun while you're here. But don't do anything foolish or I will personally see to it that you don't eat for a while."  
Videl noticed the two boys wince at this threat.   
"Don't worry, we'll be good." Goten said, still looking horrified at the prospect of what would happen if they weren't.  
"Okay," Gohan fished inside his Gi and pulled out a capsule. "there's a computer in this cap, and I transferred the games from the ships computer onto it, you can use it if you get bored. You can also train, but don't hurt each other too much, and don't go Super. If more bad-guys show up do go Super, so Videl and I know we should come."  
"But Gohan, these guys aren't anything we can't handle." Trunks interjected.  
"True, but if at all possible I want to question one or more of them, and I need to be here to do that. Also, if the guys that are knocked out wake up, work together with the Nameks to keep them locked up somewhere. Though I doubt any of them will wake up within the next couple of days."  
The boys nodded.  
"Okay, have fun." Gohan finished, tossing the capsule he was holding to Trunks.  
  
Well with that threat hanging over them their behaviour should stay within reason. Gohan thought to himself. It's really a bit much to threaten two little kids with, but with those two only heavy threats have any kind of effect.  
With that matter out of the way he jumped into the air, quickly followed by Videl.  
"Okay, let's see what the radar has to say." He said, producing said device from one of the pockets inside his Gi. "Okay, there's two Dragon Balls, fairly close together, just a little north of here."  
Videl just nodded and like Gohan adjusted her course so they were heading north.  
Soon the countryside under them seized and the found themselves above the sea.  
"Great." Gohan muttered. "Let's just hope they had the good sense to end up on an island."  
"What do you mean?" Videl asked.  
"Well, I know this sounds crazy, but while Dragon Balls can float, they can also sink. I still haven't been able to figure out what makes it happen, it just seems to be decided the instant one hits the water. The last time I went to retrieve the four-star ball I had to dive about a hundred feet to get to it.  
Not all that difficult for a Saiyan, we can hold our breath longer than Humans can, but it was buried under the remains of a collapsed undersea rock formation. I was blue from lack of breath when I resurfaced."  
"I see, but how did you even know that the ball you were diving for was the four star ball? Did the Radar show that?"  
"I didn't really know, but I was 99% sure. You see the Radar only shows where there are Dragon Balls, not which ball is where. But it's not impossible to sense Dragon Balls, it's just difficult to locate them like that over long distances, however when you're near you can feel them and they each have a slightly different feeling. So if you blindfold me and hold a Dragon Ball in front of me I can tell you the number of stars, at least with the Earth's, with these I can't, they feel different."  
"Hmm. Well one of them has had good sense if I'm not mistaken, there's something shining orange on that small island over there."  
Gohan swooped down followed closely by Videl.  
Small Island was almost too big a term for what they landed on. Large rock might be a better description. The Dragon Ball was easy enough to spot, it was lying securely in a small hollow.  
Just as Gohan was taking it out he felt two Ki's behind him. Both of them certainly above average for the thugs they were fighting here. Quickly he got out the bag he'd brought along and put the ball into it before turning around to face the bad-guys.  
"Well well." He said as he saw their two races. "I didn't know there was a Dodoria and Zarbon look a like contest scheduled around here."  
"What?" The 'Zarbonian' alien yelled in surprise. "How do you know the names of the most elite warriors ever to spring from our races?"  
"That's for me to know and for you to find out." Gohan replied. "Now what are you boys doing here?"  
"We came for that Dragon Ball, so hand it over or we'll take it."  
"I guess you boys haven't checked your scouters recently. Now I'll make this easy for you and push down my Ki, so you'll just be reading hers." He said indicating Videl.  
The Dodoria look alike pushed the button on his scouter.  
"This can't be right Zegan, it says 21,000." He said in a shaky voice.  
"It must be broken Dakio. I'll check mine." Zegan pushed the button on his scouter as well and looked shocked as it showed the power level. "21,000, But how is that possible?"  
"Simple." Videl said, and Gohan thought she sounded rather proud. "I was trained by the best." She gestured towards him.  
"But I'm only reading him at 5,000." Dakio said.  
"That's because I'm suppressing my Ki, moron." Gohan said. "Here I'll power up a bit."  
Slowly he began to let his energy return to normal.  
"This can't be right Zegan." Dakio said. "All of sudden he's shooting past 50,000."  
"100,000." Followed a few seconds later.  
Suddenly the scouters both exploded.  
"It was reading 175,000." Dakio said weakly.  
"That means you must have improved them a bit over the last 12 or so years." Gohan stated. "They used to blow at 20,000 or there about during fast powerups."  
"I though you weren't at that level yet when you were on Namek." Videl said.  
"I wasn't, not in the beginning anyway, but Vegeta was, and he told me that when he was fighting Cui, Cui's scouter broke when he hit 21,000."  
"You know that repulsive, little monkey?" Zegan asked.  
He'd better watch it. Gohan thought. My Saiyan pride may just get the best of me even if I generally don't like to kill.  
  
Videl could sense Gohan getting angry at the use of the word monkey. To be honest she couldn't blame him, if she'd just had her race compared to monkeys she'd be angry too. Even though they did have a point considering the Oozaru transformations, but those were apes, not monkeys.  
Oh god, she though feeling Gohan's Ki surge, I think his Saiyan pride is kicking in.  
Her thought was soon confirmed as Gohan sent out a normal Ki blast that completely incinerated the aqua-blue guy.  
"Never." She heard Gohan say. "Never insult the Saiyans when faced with one."  
She looked over to him and then back up at the sky to see mister pink-blob, making a run for it. She didn't find that hard to swallow, she'd be scared to if Gohan attacked like that while she was his enemy.  
"You're letting him go?" She asked Gohan.  
"Yeah, I don't know if it'll do any good, he'll probably be dead in a little while anyway, but I don't like killing. I only do it when I have to, or when I get angry." He sounded worried, probably thinking about what she might think of him, having just seen him kill.  
"It's okay Gohan, I understand." She reassured him, putting a hand on his arm. "Now let's go find the next Dragon Ball."  
"Okay, when we have that one we'll go back and leave them with Goten and Trunks, no need to carry the whole lot around with us, especially since these are a lot bigger than the Earth's."  
"Yeah I noticed, though I only ever saw the four star ball on Earth."  
"Well their all the same size so all you missed was the other 24 stars."  
"I don't know how, but I think I'll live." She couldn't help a small giggle from escaping her lips.  
"Think that's funny do you?" Gohan questioned. "Well we'll just see who has the last laugh." With that he launched himself at her and started to tickle her before she could get her guard up, sending her into a fit of giggles.  
"Well." He said smirking at her as she tried to get herself under control. "It seems you have the last laugh, but not by choice."  
"Let's go get that next Dragon Ball." She stated, suppressing the last of her giggles. And deciding to drop the matter. It had lightened the mood again, which was what she had intended to do.  
  
The second Dragon Ball was a lot harder to find then the first. It hadn't had the good sense to end up on an island but was clearly at the bottom of the sea. Finally after getting as close as possible using the radar, Gohan made a dive for it.  
Videl watched, feeling slightly nervous as she stood in the air above the water. She kept glancing at her watch. Thirty-seconds... One minute... Two minutes... Five minutes...  
She was starting to worry when suddenly Gohan's head appeared, looking rather blue from lack of oxygen, but wearing a triumphant grin non the less, he'd found the Dragon Ball.  
She watched as he put it in the bag alongside the other and to her amazement saw both of them glow.  
"What's happening Gohan?" She asked.  
"Nothing really. They just react to each other when first brought together, it's a way to tell the real Dragon Balls from fake ones, as well as a way to see if you have two of the same set. The Namekian Balls and the Earth's Balls don't react to each other."  
"I see. Now, let's head back to the village. It's getting near dinner time and Goten and Trunks may start a revolt if they don't get fed."  
"I could use a bite to eat myself. Before we go off looking for the rest of the Dragon Balls."  
"A bite?" Videl chuckled. "More like a couple of thousand bites."  
"Come on, race you there." He challenged.  
"You're on. But you're not allowed to go above my Ki level."  
"Deal."  
Even with Gohan keeping his Ki down to her level Videl found it difficult to keep up with him. She knew that even with the Ki limit he could probably go even harder if he tried, it was just a matter of routine, both in flying, and in manipulating his Ki.  
She continued to pour all of her effort into her flight non-the less. One thing that no one would ever say was that Videl Satan was a quitter. Gohan beat her in the end but only by about one body-length, his not hers though.  
"I'm impressed." He said as they landed next to Trunks and Goten who were playing a computer game. "You've really gotten good at this. When we even out our Ki's I don't have much of an advantage over you, it's just a little more experience that helped me win that one."  
"You guys had a race?" Trunks asked.  
Gohan nodded. "So are you two squirts ready for dinner?" He asked, already knowing what their answer would be.  
"You bet." Both boys yelled, jumping up.  
"Their true Saiyans alright." Videl said with a smile. "Always ready to eat."  
  
About thirty minutes later the four of them left the Z-48. They decided to eat in there, since they had to get it out for the kitchen and the supplies anyway.  
Gohan took out the Radar again and studied the display.  
"Hmm." He remarked for the benefit of those around him. "There's one ball to the west of here. I think that may be in the enemies ship. The other's all seem to be staying in place. Which means their probably waiting for us to collect all six others before they make a move."  
"Why would they do that?" Videl asked.  
"Well from what I can tell we have, almost everyone they have outclassed. That means that fighting us for every ball would cost them all their soldiers. But by just getting one ball, and keeping it, they can let us do all the work, we'll need to get that last ball anyway or they won't be any good to us."  
"So how do we go about things now?"  
"Simple, do what they want us to do. Go for the remaining three loose balls, and then when we have them go to their ship and get the seventh. It'll all probably end in a showdown between us and whoever their leader is. From what I know of these guys he'll be the strongest warrior they have."  
"Okay, I take it the kids are staying here again." Videl said motioning to the two boys who were once again engaged in their computer game.  
"Yes. We should have no trouble getting those three Dragon Balls by ourselves. And even if we were to take all the Balls we have with us, somebody would have to stay behind to guard Mori."  
"Let's go then."  
"Okay." Gohan said taking to the air and shouting down. "Take care guys, we'll be back in a while."  
  
Gohan was right when he predicted no trouble with those last three balls. Videl thought as they returned to the village about an hour after their dinner had ended.   
The only thing that had really taken up time was the searching, setting the radar to shorter and shorter distances to zero in on them before looking with your eyes commenced. And now after visiting a snowy mountaintop, a large plain of grass and a swamp they had all three remaining Balls, only one more to go.  
"When do we leave for the last ball." She asked as they landed.  
"I'd say we go now." Gohan said. "It'll safe us from having to hold watch during the night."  
"But if we're going to fight, wouldn't it be better to wait for it to be light in the morning?" Videl wondered.  
"It won't be getting dark." Gohan stated pointing to the easterly horizon where a sun was coming up. Videl glanced at it and then back to the west where the sun was about to set.  
"How...?"  
"Like Namek, New-Namek has three suns." Gohan explained. "There's always one in the sky. The term night is pretty academic around here. It refers to the time that our bio-rhythm wants us to sleep rather than anything else."  
"I see." Videl said. Feeling that she should have expected things like this on an alien world. "So what do we do with the Dragon Balls we have?"  
"We'll take them with us." Gohan said, looking thoughtful. "There's no real danger, these guys don't know the password and they don't speak Namek. You need both to be able to make a wish."  
"Okay. Let's get this over with then." Videl said feeling a little nervous. Somehow actually going to the aliens' ship to fight them seemed quite different from fighting them in chance encounters.  
  
"Goten, Trunks, come on." Gohan yelled, immediately attracting the two younger boys two him as he'd desired.  
"You called Gohan?" Trunks asked.  
"Yes. We've got six of the Dragon Balls now, but it seems that these aliens, whoever they are, have the seventh. We'll have to go to their ship to get them."  
"Can we come big brother? Huh, can we?" Goten asked excitedly while Trunks nodded."  
"Sure, I'm not sure if we're going to have to fight, but I have a feeling we will. So we need all the help we can get."  
"Okay. Man this is so cool." Trunks said.  
"Yeah." Goten said.  
"Okay, let's go." Gohan took off, the bag with their six balls over his shoulder, closely followed by the two kids and Videl.   
I needn't bother leaving someone to guard the village anymore. He thought to himself. I can be there if I sense any Ki moving in that direction, but from what I can sense they're all waiting at the ship."  
His feelings were proven correct not too long afterwards. When they landed in front of the huge space ship. Hordes of alien fighters poured out of it to 'welcome' them.  
  
Videl watched Gohan after they'd landed near the ship, and then turned to face the large group of aliens.  
"My." Gohan remarked. "This entire welcoming party for us. Either they're really anxious to see us, or they think we're a threat."  
"I think it's the latter." Videl replied in the same casual tone.  
"You have defied the heir of the Cold-empire." One of the aliens stated stepping to the front. "For this you will die."  
Gohan, Goten and Trunks all blasted into Super-Saiyan while Videl gathered all the Ki she could. Gohan took a small leather bag from one of his pockets and tossed it to Trunks.  
"Here's three senzu beans, we may need them later. You look after them for now, I'll go in first."  
The little boy nodded and Videl saw Gohan prepare to attack.  
The soldiers on the other side had clearly been surprised by the change in their enemies, as well as the fact that it had blown every single scouter they'd had on them. Now however they were preparing to attack as well.  
One of them fired a Ki-blast through the beam enhancer on his hand, he'd shot it at Videl, but just as she braced herself to defend against it, Gohan started his attack. He ran into the beam, shielding her from it and charged the man that had fired it, a simple chop left him on the ground. In the crowd Videl couldn't sense if he was dead or just knocked out, but she was guessing it was the first, there was no room for error here.  
Gohan continued his charge and Videl couldn't help but marvel at his awesome form. He was like poetry in motion as he twisted and turned to avoid the attacks shot at him, even if they couldn't harm him, and still managed to send out as many attacks in return.  
Finally between Gohan's chops, kicks and Ki-blasts only ten or so out of the hundred fighters that had originally greeted them were left standing. Gohan was about to go in for another round when a huge door in the top of the space ship opened and out came a strange looking alien. He had a fin over the front and top of his head and though he'd undoubtedly once been green now looked almost white from terror.  
"The heir is coming out to fight him." Was al he said.  
It was a short and simple sentence yet Videl could see the other's staring in disbelief. Suddenly she could feel a tremendous Ki, powerful but evil, starting to rise inside the ship, heading for the opening in the top the green alien had just come out of.  
A strange black silhouette formed against the sky as the large and powerful warrior made his way out of the ship.  
Next to her she heard Gohan, Goten and Trunks gasp, and she knew she must have done the same, they were just seconds away from finally seeing their enemy.  
  
  
  
[1] Had to do some checking on this because of my sister who didn't remember Vegeta killing them, or bodies lying around Frieza's ship. I wasn't sure about the bodies myself but thought I could add them anyway. However in my check it turned out that:  
A Vegeta does kill everyone left there, which is a fair number of people.  
B There are plenty of corpses in the corridors of the ship when Gohan and Krillin are there to take Goku to the Regeneration Tank. And Gohan and Krillin seem more than a little uncomfortable with this.  
(I think it's officially called an isolation chamber, but I like the term Regeneration Tank better somehow.)  
  
/*  
Who is this mysterious enemy, and how powerful is he. Will our heroes be able to cope with the situation their about to find themselves in? Find out in the next chapter of Life Is Strange.  
  
Another cliffhanger. I'm really starting to like them. Even though I don't like them in other people's stories. I'm just hoping those other people are reading this so this can be my revenge. I'm hoping I'll be able to update again by Friday or Saturday, but can't make any promises. I've become a bit busier with other things that FF.net again, so I'll have to wait and see.  
Please review. The more reviews I get the more motivation I'll have to write the next chapter and get you un-cliffhung.  
*/ 


	11. Death and Life

/*  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ isn't mine, Gohan is, well in my dreams he is at any rate.  
  
Anything between /* and */ is just me budding in, so is anything after // up until the next hard return.  
For those of you that realised, I'm trying to learn to program in C++ as a hobby, that's the origin of the commentary codes.  
  
*/  
  
/*  
  
Shameless self-advertisement:  
At the same time as updating this story. I'm also posting another Gohan and Videl, mostly Humor, but with probably some romance in the sidelines.  
Takes place during Gohan and Videl's highschool days.  
It's called, for lack of a better name, Gohan Goes To Highschool.  
  
*/  
  
/*   
  
Response to reviews:  
  
To JessIchi:  
Thanks and I did.  
  
To Frozenflower:  
Yes you got to be the 100th. Congratulations.  
  
To Lady Queen:  
Triaxular, means having three axes, no, not of evil. I tried to get this finished by Thursday, but just couldn't sorry. If you do sent your little sister, I'll send her on to one of my friends, his little sister could use some help in making his life hell, he's getting way to happy. And yes she probably would love to get back at you, so be careful, sisters are way sneakier about that sort of thing than brothers.  
  
To Caliko:  
Sorry to torture you, here's the relief, and this Chapter doesn't really have a cliffhanger.  
  
To Materian:  
I know the numbers, I also know they're flawed. Frieza has a max power of 25,000,000. Shin says the Supreme-Kais were each a thousand times more powerful, so his power should be 25,000,000,000. The Saiyans are stronger than Shin, so if you look at it like that 300,000,000 can't be accurate. But that's just me ranting about those inaccurate power level lists.  
I hope you enjoy this chapter.  
  
To everyone:  
Thanks, here's the next chapter.  
  
  
*/  
  
Life Is Strange  
  
Saga: The Heir Of The Cold-Empire   
  
Chapter 11: Death and Life  
  
Gohan watched at the dark silhouette ascended against the sky. The sun setting behind it in the west making it impossible to identify any sort of colour or for that matter anything other than the basic shape of the creature. Which looked vaguely, almost ominously familiar.  
Great, he thought as it came slowly floating down towards them, why do all villains have to have a flair for making dramatic entrances.  
When the creature finally landed in the shadows besides the space ship, he could finally see it clearly. All of a sudden he realised why it had looked so familiar, this was almost like Frieza's second from. The only real difference being that some of the pink seemed to have been replaced with a slightly greenish tint.  
// The second for is the tall one with the long black horns, in case you didn't know. If you're still not sure, the one that made Krillin-shish-kebab.  
"Well, well." Gohan said, surveying his enemy and for the first time sensing his Ki. "You definitely aren't what you seem. You look like Frieza in his second form, but you're a lot stronger. Also I think there are some colour-differences."  
"True." The alien said. "I am the heir of the Cold-empire, as a special onetime favour you may call me the heir."  
"Oh joy." Gohan said sarcasm clearly evident in his voice. "I think I'll just name you Thoce, if you don't mind, or for that matter if you do mind. It's your initials, The Heir Of the Cold Empire. So why do you look like Frieza."   
"I was made to look like him, in the highest form anybody had ever seen."  
"You mean nobody had ever seen his third and fourth form?" Gohan wondered. "Gee, everybody out there must be pretty weak, I was just a kid when I fought him twelve years ago, but even I could knock his third form to the floor back then."  
"What? You fought the great lord Frieza?"  
"Only in his second and third stage. I wasn't ready to face his final form then, though it would be easy for me now.   
You see, how shall I put this? The great lord Frieza, as you call him, wasn't all that great. He wouldn't, and didn't, even stand a chance against a normal level one Super-Saiyan. Let alone an advanced level one, or a level two."  
"Why are you talking about that ridiculous monkey legend?"  
Gohan growled but remained falsely polite. "I'll try to explain. It's not ridiculous, nor is it limited to legend." He powered down back to normal. "You see this is my normal form, just an normal Saiyan. In case you were wondering why you don't see it, my tail was removed when I was younger." He charged up again. "Now this is my Super-Saiyan form." He continued the charge up finally bursting into level 2 with a yell. "And this is my level 2 Super-Saiyan form."  
He looked around to see the results of his last transformation and the Ki-storm that had accompanied it. Goten and Trunks were just standing there, next to Videl who had her hands in a blocking position and had been shielded some by Goten. All of the dozen or so remaining alien warriors had been destroyed however, only Thoce remained.  
"Now I have two questions for you." Gohan said hoping that like all villain's this guy's ego would be so big he'd be more than happy to tell Gohan everything. "You said you were created, why and by whom? And secondly, what do you want the Dragon Balls for?"  
"Oh, why not, though if you separate the why and by whom that's three questions, but I am perfection, the ultimate weapon, so why not tell you about myself. The process of my creation began years ago, shortly after Frieza and King Cold were somehow killed. Thanks to a new device we've invented the toughest warriors of a number of species could be fused together. Combining their strength. Then the DNA of Lord Frieza, which we still had left from his reconstruction, was added. Finally the DNA of a young half-Saiyan boy was used to give me the strength of the Saiyan race. It was really a stroke of luck that we ran across that last bit of monkey DNA, we went to find Lord-Frieza's ship, among the rubble of what was once the planet Namek. It was wrecked, but not beyond repair, we towed it to port and started repairs, during which we found the clothes of this boy aboard, his DNA was confirmed to be half Saiyan, and half of another unknown origin."  
"Dende." Gohan muttered. "Why does my DNA have to end up in every genetically engineered super villain?"  
"What was that?" Thoce enquired.  
"Never mind, the Saiyan DNA you're talking about is mine so I was just having a bit of déjà vu."  
"Ah, you should be honoured to have contributed to such a great project for now you know how I was created. As for the other questions, the who was quite simply the remaining loyal warriors of the Cold-empire, and their scientists.  
As for why, I'll take you back to the time after Frieza's fall on Namek, he was still a live, but just barely. Already then Vegeta, whom you know, or so I'm told, was travelling through our space openly defying us.   
And with Frieza out of commission, and King Cold spending all of his time at his son's side, non of us were a match for him, but it didn't matter, it would all change when Frieza was well again.  
When Frieza was finally reconstructed as the even more powerful Frieza-bot, he went to Earth for revenge. But due to the Earths position relative to our comm-network, communications with his ship seized after he'd landed, and he was never heard from again. An unmanned scout probe send to Earth about a year later, could tell us little, but from what little information we gained we could gather that he had died, together with his father.  
That's when the panic started to sweep those of us who remained. Some worlds tried to break away from the empire, and we were engaged in a civil war. Vegeta was once again in space, training and often defying us by entering our territory. And even though we were no match for him, we knew that his power wasn't enough to defeat Frieza, which meant there had to be even stronger warriors out there.  
To combat that situation a group of the highest elite fighters and a group of scientists came together. Thanks to scientific progress the fighters were fused into one, creating my first stage, a powerful warrior to defend the empire from its enemies.  
With me as the new leader, peace was soon restored to the empire. My strength was great enough to ensure the loyalty of the worlds that had at first tried to break away, and Vegeta had disappeared from space.  
Then the final process of my creation began. Every night I spend hours in a regeneration tank, filled with the genetic-material that was to be incorporated into me. It took years but finally the, sometimes manipulated DNA, was integrated into mine, and after a two month stay in another type of regeneration tank, the DNA took over the way that had been intended and I took on this form. The form that symbolised my mission. To find these so-called Dragon Balls and bring back lord Frieza. It took us a year of searching to find this place, but finally we did. And so I came here to resurrect him."  
Hmm. Gohan thought. His character still seems to be dominated by a certain submissiveness, probably a result of his past as a group of Frieza's servants.  
"So you want to bring back Frieza, why?"  
"Well like you said I'm probably stronger than he was, but think of the power we'll have once on just his DNA but his body has been integrated into me."  
That would probably allow him to completely take over and with such a powerful body that would be bad. Gohan thought.  
"I see." He said. "Well if you want that to ever happen, you'll have to go through me. And I assure you, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you can have your little reunion with him, just not in this dimension."  
"So you're going to stop me? I dare say you must be delusional dear boy, I am far, far stronger than Frieza ever was."  
"I know." Gohan said. "This will probably be my first challenging fight in years, but we'll see who is victorious. You see I too have grown far beyond the level needed to fight Frieza."  
He turned to his three companions for a moment.  
"You guys back off a bit, this is going to be pretty intense. This jerk is about the Cold-empire equivalent of Cell and this might just turn into another Cell fight. Not something I'm looking forward to, but it can't be avoided, I just hope we don't wreck the planet in the process."  
They all nodded, though Gohan thought Videl looked rather wistful as she did, and flew back, landing on a cliff a few hundred yards away.  
Why do people always stand on cliffs to watch fights? Gohan wondered. Krillin and I did when watching dad fight Frieza on Namek, we all stood on a cliff during the Cell-games, except for dad and me when we fought. What is it with fights and cliffs?  
He dropped into his fighting stance and powered up as far as he could go. He was almost reaching the top of this level, but he couldn't quite make the jump to the next level just yet.  
He could see his adversary doing the same, he too apparently didn't show his full power all the time, his opponent's power was great and seemed equal to his own.  
As he prepared for the first mutual attack he let his memory replay something his father had told him during their training in the hyperbolic time chamber.  
'Gohan, there's one thing you need to always remember before going into battle, you're a Saiyan, your instincts can do the fighting for you, almost without thought, but it's up to you to keep them in check. Saiyan instinct is great at fighting, but it can also be ruthless and unthinking, a Saiyan in the heat of battle may even fail to notice when a move will not only finish his opponent but also destroy the planet.'  
This seemed to him to be one of those battles. The real fighting could be done from the heart, but he needed to keep a cool head to make sure he didn't do too much damage to his surroundings.  
  
Videl looked as Gohan and Thoce prepared for their fight. Their Ki's were tremendous, both of them were stronger than she'd thought possible. Yet there didn't seem to be the slightest difference between the two of them.   
When the launched into battle she could barely follow their movement, she know that only a few weeks ago she wouldn't have been able to at all. Now most of what she could see were streaks of colour rushing all over the place sometimes meeting in violent crashes that send out explosions of light and energy and momentarily slowed the two fighters enough to allow her to see them.  
Suddenly the two of them stopped for a while. Apparently getting ready to charge again when suddenly the large horned fighter shot a beam of Ki towards the spectators.  
It travelled so fast she couldn't move, nor could the two little guys beside her. When it hit she felt like she'd come into contact with a steamroller, she was pushed down and every part of her body was hurting. She was wondering if she was still a live and how much time she had left. From the field below she heard Gohan yell something but the world was fading. The last thing she felt was something being pushed to the back of the throat forcing her to swallow before blacking out.  
  
Gohan came to a halt in his fight as his opponent did the same, they'd been going at it for a few minutes, but for a normal fighter the moves would have taken hours. He launched into battle with a kick, while his opponent had started with a punch. They'd both easily dodged as expected, this was just the first stage of the fight. The first few blows exchanged were always just to test the enemy. He'd only been using half of his power in that attack and by his best estimate the same was true for Thoce.  
Without stopping they engaged in battle again. This time Gohan used about seventy-five percent of his power. Thoce had increased his power too, but not by as much. Which gave Gohan the chance to score the first real blow of the fight as his fist connected with his opponents jaw.  
Gohan knew he couldn't stop increasing power however. This warm up part of the match wasn't going to last too much longer. He was proven right in the next exchange where Thoce managed to land a blow.   
Four more exchanges had followed before Gohan started fighting at his maximum, Thoce seemed to have reached his peak as well and there was barely a difference between their Ki levels.  
The exchange of blows had continued for a few minutes, neither fighter managing to gain the upper hand. Most blows were dodged and those that connected were immediately avenged.  
When they came to a halt and Gohan prepared to attack again he suddenly noticed a Ki-blast shooting from Thoce left hand to the ridge behind him. Before he could react the blast hit Videl, Goten and Trunks.  
Goten and Trunks managed to deflect the blast after a while, but Gohan could see that Videl was down.  
A cry began to from in his soul, echoing out through his body and into the air with a power that seemed to fill the entire atmosphere.  
"NO!"  
  
As his yell of anger filled the atmosphere, seeming to shake the world by the power of his voice alone, Gohan felt the familiar unleashing of his power. It seemed to start at his feet, crawling up his body, and in the end finding his hair. In a manner similar to the level two transformation his hair became longer, so long that even with his Ki it could not stand on end anymore, but hung down his back almost to his butt.  
He could feel some changes around his face as well, his features slightly modified by the power that was now running through him. He didn't really know what he looked like now, except for his eyes. He could feel the fire of anger and pain that must be burning in them. On the cliff he saw Trunks push something into Videl's throat, probably a senzu bean, even if she was just barely alive that should be enough.  
But he had another problem now. He turned back to face Thoce.  
"You hurt her." He said, softly and yet threateningly. "And for that you're going to die."  
He'd barely finished the sentence when he attacked, there almost seemed to be too much power in this form, and he wasn't sure how long he could keep it. The attack was simple, he knocked Thoce back before throwing him into the air. As his opponent was shot up helplessly Gohan gathered his energy.  
"Ma...Sen...Ko...Ha!" He yelled shooting out his trademark Ki attack, with a force unlike any he'd ever encountered.  
Above him, even through the bright light of the Masenko he could see Thoce's face twist in panic. A typical Saiyan smirk came to his lips as his enemy was vaporised. Again someone had pushed the limits of the Saiyan race, and as always the limits had expanded and pushed back.  
Without waiting he fired another blast to gain access to the space ship by blowing a hole in its side.  
He could sense the Dragon Ball, being so close he didn't even need the Radar. Soon he found it where he'd expected it, on the bridge.  
After grabbing it he rushed out again, still not powering down.  
  
When Videl started to come to her senses again she noticed two things. First of all Gohan's Ki seemed to be a lot larger than it had been before, though that seemed impossible, and secondly Thoce's Ki seemed to be gone completely.  
Just then a golden blur rushed towards her.  
"Videl?" Gohan asked as he stopped. "Are you all right?"  
"I think so." She replied. "The last thing I remember was being hit by that beam and then someone pushed something down my throat."  
"That was me." Trunks said. "I gave you a senzu bean after you got hit and then Gohan went to the next level, cause he was so angry."  
She looked closely at Gohan noticing the difference, his hair was longer, and hanging down his back, and his facial features lacked some of their softness.  
"You really made it to another level?" She asked, though the answer was obvious.  
"Yeah," Gohan said, "but I don't know how long I can hold it, it seems to be impossible to power down inside the level."  
"What do you mean?" She asked.  
"Well, when I go to level one or level two my hair will go a bit lighter after a while, and the level will become more like my natural Ki level, in this level I can't seem to do that, every time I try to relax my Ki I just about drop to level 2, so this is taking a massive effort to keep up, the only reason I haven't dropped out yet is because I want to know how long I can make it last."  
She nodded. "Did you find the Dragon Ball?"  
"Yeah, I've got it, we can make the wish as soon as I confirm that Piccolo has the Dragon Balls on Earth. Just give me a second."  
  
Gohan closed his eyes and concentrated on his mentor.  
'Piccolo, can you hear me?'  
'Yes Gohan, do you have the Dragon Balls?'  
'Yes, do you?'  
'Of course they are easy to find now a days.'  
'Yeah, it hasn't been much of a challenge since we all got super fast. I've got the Namekian balls here now, I'll wish dad back first and then contact you for the second wish okay.'  
'Okay, I'll see you soon Gohan.'  
'Bye Piccolo, and thanks.'  
'You're welcome kid, just call when you need me.'  
Gohan send a mind nod, to close the conversation and turned back to his friends.  
"I'm powering down now guys, then we'll call the dragon."  
It wasn't a moment too soon for the power down either. He'd held this form for nearly ten minutes and that seemed to be about it. He'd already been close to slipping several times in the last few minutes and now it was time to power down before staying charged up started to hurt.  
Slowly he let go of the power, his hair retreated to just a bit above it's normal length for the Super-Saiyan-2 and then even further as he went back to level 1. Finally he even dropped out of that level, his hair loosing the little bit of extra length that even level 1 gave and returning to black together with his eyes. Beside him he could see Goten and Trunks coming out of Super-Saiyan as well.  
He let out a sigh as he sat down. The level three form consumed incredible energy, the way he felt now reminded him of how he'd felt after the Cell-games when he'd fainted from exhaustion after that last Kamehameha.  
He closed his eyes for a moment, letting his energy return to normal.  
"Are you okay?" It was Videl's voice, sounding concerned.  
"I'm fine." He replied without opening his eyes. "I just need a few seconds to get back to normal, the level three takes a lot of power."  
He sat there for only a few more seconds before deciding it had been enough. He still wasn't feeling quite normal again, but he had to get up and get on with it.   
"Okay guys." He said getting up. "I suggest we had back to the village before summoning the Dragon. I should be able to handle making the wish in Namek, but it would be good to have Mori on hand just in case."  
I can barely believe it. Gohan thought as they took off. He's really going to be back in a few more minutes.  
  
Videl was surprised when a cheering crowd on Nameks greeted them as they entered the village. She certainly didn't feel like she deserved any such treatment, though Gohan, in her opinion, did.  
"That was some fight Gohan." Mori said as they landed in front of him.  
"I know." Gohan replied. "I got the seventh Ball, so we'll be making our wishes in a minute."  
"You know, you still haven't told me what the second wish is."  
"Oh, that." Gohan said. "I'm going to use both Dragons for that wish, Porunga and Shen Long, I'll have to contact Piccolo for that, but if all goes well the two Dragons together should be able to make a permanent connection between Dende's lookout on Earth and someplace here on New-Namek, so he can come visit you guys and vice versa."  
"Great wish Gohan." Mori said. "And thanks, we all miss Dende, it would be great to see him again, not just speak telepathically."  
"He misses you too." Gohan said. "He tries to hide it and being God of Earth is a busy job, but he does miss you, I know him well enough to be able to tell."  
"I hadn't expected anything different. When he was here he missed you and his other friends from Earth, it's only natural that being there he'd miss us."  
Gohan nodded. "Hopefully that's going to change as soon as I make the second wish, but first wishes first."  
He closed his eyes for a moment and Videl could sense him talking to someone telepathically.  
"Okay. Dad knows we're going to wish him back so he's saying good-bye to everyone there. I've told him to use the instant transmission to get here when we've wished him back."  
"You mean he's not going to be here automatically?" Videl asked, surprised.  
"Oh, you wouldn't know. The Dragon Balls bring a person back to life at the location he died. Which in my dad's case is King Kai's planet in otherworld."  
"Otherworld?"  
"The next dimension."  
"Okay. Now what's the instant transmission?"  
"It's a trick my dad learned from an alien race called the Yardrat. It allows him to travel instantly from one place to another."  
Videl nodded. She didn't really understand, but she couldn't keep them waiting any longer, she'd ask Gohan about it later.  
Gohan got out the Dragon Balls and placed them on the ground in front of them.  
He called out a strange sentence in what Videl assumed was the Nameks native language.  
After a few seconds the Dragon Balls began to glow and the sky went black. And a flash of light erupted from the Dragon Balls, making its way up into the dark sky. Where it took the shape of a large lizard like Dragon.  
To Videl's surprise the Dragon spoke in English, though perhaps it was more a universal language that everyone could understand as if it were their own.  
"You have summoned me, so as it was written I will now grant you any three wishes within my power."  
Gohan started to speak in the Namek language again and though Videl only understood one two word phrase, "Son Goku" she knew perfectly what he was saying, bring Goku back to life.  
The Dragon closed his eyes in concentration for a moment, and then spoke again.  
"It is done, the one you call Son Goku has been brought back to life."  
Gohan nodded and turned to Mori.  
"I'm not sure on all the terminology for the second-wish, at least not off the Namek for it, could you do the honours."  
"Of course." The Namek elder stated. "But if you want both Dragons to work together you should contact your friends on Earth."  
"Of course." Gohan said.  
  
Gohan concentrated his thoughts on Piccolo to contact his former mentor telepathically.  
'Are you there Piccolo.'  
'Yes Gohan, are you ready for the wish?'  
'Yes, now after you've summoned the Dragon it's important that you designate a precise location for the portal to be.'  
'Okay, I can handle it, I'll summon the Dragon and contact you, so you can give me a countdown before we make the wish, I'm not sure if it's needed but I'd like to get it as simultaneous as is possible.'  
'Okay.'  
"Mori." Gohan said out loud. "Shen Long is being summoned on Earth. I'll give you a countdown to the wish when both Dragons are waiting, now you'll have to pick a place for the portal to the passage on this side to be."  
The Namek nodded. "I've already give thought to it. Don't worry Gohan."  
Gohan nodded as Piccolo's mind voice came back. 'Shen Long is ready and waiting Gohan.'  
"Okay," Gohan said both aloud and in his mind, "now both of you remember to tell the Dragons to work together to make a passage with two portals and the designate the portal on your end. On my mark, five, four, three, two, one, mark."  
Gohan could hear Piccolo's mind speaking the wish on Earth, designating a room in Dende's palace and Mori made the wish on New-Namek, giving a cave as the location.  
Gohan watched Porunga anxiously as the Dragon seemed to be concentrating all of his power.   
  
Finally after several minutes of waiting that had seemed more like hours or days, Porunga gave a grunt. "Your wish has been fulfilled. State your last wish."  
"Hmm." Gohan said, scratching the back of his head. "I don't really have a third wish." He looked at the Nameks. "Do you have any use for this wish?" He asked.  
"Not really." Mori said. "If we did we'd have gathered the Dragon Balls long ago."  
"Then I'll give it some thought." Gohan said. Scratching the back of his head as he pondered.  
"I am waiting." Porunga stated after a while, sounding a bit ticked.  
"I forgot about that." Gohan said. "The god of love has an attitude problem."  
"God of love?" Videl enquired.  
"Well he is, though being Namekian that doesn't really include romantic love. But now I think I've got it." Gohan said. "Here it goes." He continued switching to the Nameks' native tongue to make the wish. "Undo any damage done to otherworld and it's inhabitants by Cell's explosion."  
Gohan smiled as Porunga granted the wish and then disappeared letting the balls scatter.  
"What did you wish for?" Videl asked.  
"For all the damage Cell's explosion did to otherworld and it's people to be undone." Gohan stated. "That should bring King-Kai back to life, as well as Gregory and Bubbles, his assistants, and it should also have returned his planet."  
"Okay. Uhm Gohan, where is your dad, you did tell him to come here but I don't see him anywhere."  
Gohan looked around puzzled, he'd been too busy with the other wishes to notice it but Goku hadn't arrived yet.  
He concentrated and felt his father's Ki, moving towards him fast.  
"Dad!" He exclaimed as Goku landed about ten feet in front of him. "You're really back."  
He ran to his father and hugged him. He just couldn't stop himself, part of him felt like a little boy again, and the rest of him was so emotional he didn't care.  
"Wow Gohan, you've gotten so big." Goku remarked smiling. "I've been watching from other world of course, but now that I see it myself, you're as tall as me now."  
"Why did you take so long getting here?" Gohan asked as he let go off his dad.  
"Ah well." Goku scratched the back of his head in the classic Son gesture. "It's been a while since I used the instant transmission so I was a little off target, I ended up halfway around the planet."  
"I see." Gohan looked around to see Trunks with unruly black hair sticking out from behind his head. "Come on out Goten, it's okay."  
Goten little face slowly appeared of Trunks' shoulder as he moved his head out from behind the other boy.  
"I'm Goten." He said in a small voice, his eyes locked with Goku's.  
"I'm Goku." The older Saiyan stated.  
"Daddy." Goten suddenly seemed to conquer his nerves and jumped over Trunks and into his father's arms.  
"You are a strong one, aren't you son?" Goku said. "I can hardly believe you and Trunks are Super-Saiyans already."  
Gohan smiled as he watched the reunion between a father and son that had never met before. His smiling even turned to chuckling when Goten, to prove that he was a Super-Saiyan, since his dad could barely believe it, transformed while still hugging Goku. The energy of the transformation knocking the tall Saiyan down though he managed to take his young son down with him.  
Trunks never one to be outdone by his friend, transformed as well and joined Goten and the now also transformed Goku in a little play wrestling.  
Gohan continued to watch the three of them for a while. His dad could be so much like a kid himself. He had those moments too, but not as many, that's one reason he'd really missed Goku, he knew he could never really be what his dad had been for him for Goten, even though he'd tried.  
After witching and smiling for a while longer, with an arm around Videl he decided it was time to take up some of his dad's attention.  
"Dad." He called. "Do you think you could leave the kids for a few seconds so I can introduce my fiancée."  
"What's a fiancée?" Goku asked as he temporarily left the play-wrestling match.  
"I forgot how poorly you understand marriage." Gohan said.  
"What do you mean?" Videl asked.  
"Let's just say he thought it was a food at first." Gohan replied. "Now dad, a fiancée is someone you've promised to marry but haven't married yet."  
"Oh you mean when you're engaged to someone."  
"Exactly."  
"Then you must be Videl." Goku said turning to Videl and taking her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well." Videl managed to get out. She just couldn't believe she was shaking hands with Son Goku, the martial arts legend, even though she'd know he would be her father in law for a while now.  
"So do you have a frying pan yet?" Goku asked.  
What do I need a frying pan for? Videl wondered as Gohan next to her let out a scream.  
"Dad, don't give her any ideas."  
"What?" Goku asked. "I know from being your dad that your mom's frying pan was the only way to control you."  
"That was a long time ago, it's Goten who's living in fear of the wretched thing now."  
"Well you never really outgrow it. I remember Chi-Chi got Bulma one when we found out she'd married Vegeta, and believe me, from my occasional looking in on things in the living world, I can assure you it's still being used. It's just something any woman married to a Saiyan should have."  
"Why is that?" Videl asked. "And how do you control Gohan with a frying pan?"  
"Well you should have one, firstly to keep Gohan in line, and second for when you have kids. So you can keep them in line as well. As for controlling Gohan with it, an occasional whack in the back of the head should do the trick." Goku rubbed the back of his own head seemingly remembering something.  
"Dad. Stop it now." Gohan said. "Or I'm going to get a needle."  
"Needle!"  
Videl was surprised at Goku's scared yell. Here was one of the toughest fighters in the universe and he was scared of needles.  
Well, she thought, you can't say Saiyans aren't an interesting race. They're harder to blow up than planets, yet they can be scared of frying pans and needles.  
"You're dad's really one of a kind." She told Gohan as Goku rushed of to rejoining the play-wrestling boys.  
"I suppose. He's just so innocent, just like a kid really. It's not that surprising he grew up more or less on his own. And really sheltered. Bulma is the second human being, and the first woman he ever met, and they met when he was eleven." [1]  
"I guess that would make you a little different." Videl stated.  
  
Gohan stood beside Videl a while longer. He had an arm around her waist and occasionally they would have a little kiss, all the time watching the other three wrestling playing and laughing. Some of the Nameks were watching too, though most had gone back to their daily efforts to grow Adjassa plant.  
When he felt it was time to go Gohan turned to Mori who was standing next to them.  
"Where exactly is that cave you made the portal in?" He asked. "I think we should be getting back to Earth soon, people are gonna want to meet my dad."  
"See that mountain?" Mori asked, pointing.  
"Kind of hard to miss." Gohan replied, looking at the mountain that was within a mile of the village.  
"Well the cave is in the slope on this side, about half way up."  
"Okay, thanks again for everything."  
"We should be thanking you, without you those guys would have killed us."  
"You're welcome." Gohan said. "But we should be going." He raised his voice so the others could hear him. "Guys, we should be going home, let's head for the passage."  
"Passage?" Goku asked.  
"Oh of course you weren't here. I succeeded in making that permanent passage between New-Namek and Earth I was talking about. So we can just use that to go back."  
"Okay, lead the way son."  
Gohan waved to the Nameks as he took off and the others did the same. In just a few minutes they reached the cave. As Gohan stepped inside he couldn't help but wonder what the portal would look like.  
It wasn't difficult to spot. A circular opening in the back wall, through which he could see a white wall and a brown door in the typical style of the lookout.  
A bit nervous he stepped forward, and walked through the arch. There seemed to be a type of energy field or something exactly in the middle of it, giving him a tingly feeling as he stepped through.  
A moment later he was in the lookout. He turned around and saw the other's looking at him through the portal.  
"Can you hear me?" He asked, curious to know the full nature of this link. His dad on the other side just shrugged in a confused gesture. Gohan nodded and then gave a sign with his hand for them to follow him.  
Goku was the next to come through followed by Goten and Trunks and finally Videl.  
Soon they left the room walking into the main hall of the palace and exiting that to find only mister Popo, standing near the edge of the lookout  
"Hi mister Popo." Goku said as he spotted the little man. "Where are Dende and Piccolo?"  
"Well." Mister Popo said in his usual calm voice. "When everyone sensed you were back alive Bulma decided to throw a party over at Capsule Corporation, so they headed down there. They're all waiting for you now."  
"Let's go then." Gohan said, jumping over the edge of the lookout and heading for Capsule Corporation while the other's followed.  
  
  
[1] This is the age I calculated myself. Goku says he's twelve during the tournament. Which takes place 8 months after he started training with Roshi, so 8 months and a couple of weeks after the start of the series. The official website gives his age as 8, but that doesn't add up.  
Both my sister and I think he looks younger, but this is the best I could do, as I wanted to stay as close to the series as possible.  
  
/*  
  
Next time in life is strange. Everybody is celebrating the return of Goku, but when they're through celebrating there's a world tournament on the horizon. Who will enter, and how will the training go? Will mister Satan keep his title?  
  
On the last question above, yeah right. This story is going into its final phase now. All I have left to do is to write my own version of the tournament and the Buu-saga (a somewhat shorter version).  
Anyway please review. I'll get withdrawal symptoms otherwise. :)  
  
*/ 


	12. Strange Parties

/*  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ isn't mine, Gohan is, well in my dreams he is at any rate.  
Also: I do NOT own Hungry Eyes, by Eric Carmen.  
  
Anything between /* and */ is just me budding in, so is anything after // up until the next hard return.  
For those of you that realised, I'm trying to learn to program in C++ as a hobby, that's the origin of the commentary codes.  
  
*/  
  
/*   
  
Response to reviews:  
  
To kat:  
Well I agree with you on the cliffs, what's up with that? Like I said in the last chapter I don't know. If Akira Toriyama is reading this (who am I kidding here) would he please leave a review giving the reason for this?  
  
To Lauren Williams:  
Your question:   
Ok you say this: I'm not originally a huge Gohan/Videl fan, I want him myself. and then you say if you are windering i am a guy???? What are you????  
In response to this question the answers bi and straight are incorrect, I'm not going to give any more hints.  
  
To Tanyaneko:  
Glad you liked it. It is a bit of a long read, but basically I think it's now a novel length fic. Just for comparison, I believe Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone is about 80,000 words, and this chapter should put me over 75,000 though that includes responses to reviews and the rest of the stuff at the beginning of each chapter.  
  
To do you mind:  
What exactly was I supposed to mind.  
  
To edward-tivrusky-5:  
I am currently planning on doing a quite short version of the Buu saga that shouldn't take more than a chapter. However the World Tournament will be completed normally.  
  
To mae:  
Perhaps Gohan did get to level 3 a bit easily, but his Saiyan puberty increased his strength and he's been training hard. Besides we all know what happens when that boy gets angry. Also I just wanted him to go to level 3.  
Thanks for all the reviews, you put me over the 11 per chapter average again.  
It makes me feel a little guilty for only reviewing A Guide to Wilderness Survival once, but I'm terrible at writing reviews.  
Regarding the English as a second language thing, I write a lot in English, that helps, sometimes I think my English is getting better than my Dutch. I guess the most important thing for me to learn English was picking it up from TV when I was about 11 or 12, most of it is self taught, we did have it in school of course, but I was sort of ahead of that all the time. Guess that what they say about the best time to learn languages being when you're young is true.  
  
To everyone:  
Thanks for the reviews.  
  
*/  
  
Life Is Strange  
  
Saga: The Heir Of The Cold-Empire   
  
Chapter 12: Strange Parties  
  
Videl held back just a little so she could watch the four people flying in front of her. The setting sun was their back-ground as they headed for Capsule Corporation.  
On the left was Goten, who was holding onto his dad's hand while flying. Goku came next with on his other side Trunks also hanging from his hand. The three of them were imitating a jet with swept back wings. You had to have heard their earlier dialogue to understand it, but it was a really cute sight.  
Then there was a slight gap where she had been flying until just a few moments ago and then on the right was Gohan.  
Suddenly he was gone to and flying next to her again, having all but stopped and then re-accelerated in a fraction of a second.  
"Why'd you drop back?" He asked in barely more than a whisper.  
"Just looking." She replied. "Those three are so cute together."  
"Yeah. Two little kids and one big kid." Gohan answered smiling.  
"That too yes. But there's just something about your dad."  
"I know. I never found a way to put it into words, but there is something. It's just impossible to be sad around him. Somehow when he's here you always feel everything is going to be alright."  
"I can feel it." She whispered back, not wanting to break the spell of the moment. "It's really strange, I only met him perhaps an hour ago, but I still feel like everything's going to be alright now."  
"I know. He just has that effect on everyone."   
A moment of silence passed before Videl suddenly noticed something.  
"Look, there's the Capsule Corp. building."  
"Yeah, we're almost there."  
"But it took us a lot longer to get here from the lookout last time."  
"Well you may still be a bit slower than the rest of us, but you've really improved since we left Earth, so of course it takes less time."  
Videl nodded, she'd been so busy comparing herself to the Saiyans that she'd failed to notice how much she had improved.  
Meanwhile in front of them Goku had let go of Goten and Trunks and all three were now landing on their own. Within a few seconds she and Gohan joined them on the patio by the back door and all of them headed inside.  
The kitchen was deserted but Videl thought she could hear some slight rustling noises coming from the living room.  
Goku who was leading the group apparently heard them as well because he headed in the direction of the door between the kitchen and that room.  
"Vegeta!" He suddenly yelled. "You should keep your Ki down further if this is a surprise party."  
"Blast you Kakarott, just get in here already."  
"Kakarott?" Videl whispered to Gohan with an eyebrow raised as they entered the room.  
"Dad's Saiyan name," Gohan whispered back, "he forgot it along with everything else when he hit his head as a child, so he uses his human name, Goku himself. But Vegeta still uses the Saiyan name."  
  
Gohan entered the room behind his father. Immediately looking around to see where his mother was. Bulma who noticed him looking mouthed. "She's upstairs."  
When she came into view. Gohan smiled a little, of course, Chi-Chi always made a huge effort of looking good for special occasions and naturally she'd want to look her best to night.   
Goku appeared either not to notice his wife's absence, or to have guessed the reason. And Gohan knew his father well enough to know the latter of the two was more likely.  
"So you've been doing some training." The newly returned Saiyan said to Piccolo. "I can sense you power, you've grown a lot stronger."  
"Thanks, I'm still probably no match for you though." Piccolo said. "Knowing you I'm sure you've been training hard these last seven years."  
"Yeah I have."  
"I'm afraid Gohan hasn't." Piccolo said. "I've been trying to keep him busy some, but Chi-Chi..."  
"I know." Goku said. "But it hasn't done him any harm, I think we're still at about the same strength level."  
"Really Kakarott." Vegeta's cynical voice joined the discussion. "I'm not sure your son has more power than he did when he fought Cell."  
Goku's face turned into an almost Vegeta like smirk. "I'd say he was about that strong when his fight there started but then Videl got hurt..."  
"So you got mad kid." Piccolo said, looking at Gohan intently.  
"Yeah, I probably haven't been that angry since my fight with Cell, something inside me just snapped and I went to the next level."  
"You mean something even higher than a level 2 Super-Saiyan?" Piccolo looked shocked as he asked this while Vegeta seemed to be lost for words.  
"You guys wanna see?" Goku asked with a goofy smile.  
"You mean you can reach level 3 too dad?" Gohan asked.  
"Yeah, I've only been able to do it the last week or so, but I can reach it now."  
"Awesome dad. Wanna go out and compare Ki-levels?"  
"All right, why not, I think your mom will be down in a little while, but we've still got some time."  
Quickly they went outside, followed by all the others who were more than a little curious.  
  
"Stand back." Gohan warned everyone as he and his father stood on the lawn behind CC headquarters, well away from any of the buildings in the compound.  
"Ready?" Goku asked.  
Gohan nodded. "Let's do it."  
They both transformed into Super-Saiyans at exactly the same time, virtually without effort. Then the power up began, first inside of level 1 then onto level 2. Finally the two of them let out a huge roar that ripped through the night sky, as the golden light of their energy circled around them with incredible force. Gohan once again felt his hair start to grow longer, and this time almost felt like he was looking in the mirror as he looked over to his dad who had the same thing happening to him.   
They gave each other the classic Son-grin as the transformation finished. Gohan's hair now came down to his butt, and Goku's was slightly longer still, ending about mid-thigh.  
Gohan turned away from his father to look at their audience. Vegeta looked shocked and angry, and Gohan couldn't help but smirk a little inwardly, they'd managed to surpass the Saiyan prince once again.  
Piccolo looked shocked at their power. But Gohan also thought he could detect a hint of pride in his mentor's eyes. It didn't really surprise him, Piccolo had always been proud of his accomplishments.  
Goten and Trunks were just in awe, with typical young Saiyan 'when can I learn how to do that' looks in their eyes.  
Finally the Human Z-Fighters and Bulma seemed just stunned that yet again a new level of the Saiyan race had been discovered.  
Suddenly Goku turned back to normal.  
"Chi-Chi's heading down stairs." Was all he said as he raced back into the house.  
Gohan smiled and walked after his father, not bothering to power down, he needed to learn how to control this form, and hopefully build some stamina so he could last more than 10 minutes at this level.  
  
Even though he was as careful as possible Gohan couldn't help slamming the door on the way in. Trying to do normal things while charged up usually created problems like that. The others had gone ahead of him, so he was last to arrive in the living room where his mother and father were now in each other's arms.  
He smiled as he saw them together. His mother certainly looked happier than she had in a long time, and he couldn't help feeling the same. He'd had other reasons to be happy of course, Videl agreeing to marry him was one that really stood out, but having her at his side, and his parents together again was even better.  
Suddenly his mom's eyes fell on him over his dad's shoulder.   
"Gohan, what happened to your hair?" She snapped.  
Gohan immediately started having flashbacks to the first time she'd seen him as a Super-Saiyan. His mom had been in tears thinking he'd died his hair.  
"Nothing happened to it mom." He told her. "It just grows like this when you go to the third level of Super-Saiyan."  
To illustrate his point he powered down, he'd rather skip his training then face an angry or sad Chi-Chi.  
Bulma had put on some music in the background and so Goku and Chi-Chi started dancing. Not wanting to let go off each other so soon after meeting again.  
Gohan felt a tug on his arm, and turned to see Videl looking up at him with expectation in her eyes. His smile, which had been lost when his mom questioned him about his hair, returned as he took her in his arms and followed his parents' example.  
As they danced he looked through the room over Videl's shoulder. Krillin was dancing with 18, a process that looked rather strange as she towered over him. Bulma was trying to get Vegeta to dance with her. When she appeared to have failed Yamcha, rather hesitantly, approached to ask her to dance. Vegeta seeing this immediately grabbed her, and started to dance. Leaving Yamcha standing there with a confused expression on his face.  
As they moved around the room he slowly saw everything as they turned. Puar was trying to console Yamcha, while Tien and Chaozu were chuckling behind their hands. Marron was dancing with Oolong, so Goten and Trunks having no girls their age left were trying to dance with each other. A process that soon turned into a mini brawl as they kept stepping on each other's toes and then accusing each other of doing so on purpose.  
And lastly master Roshi was talking to Ox-King, probably reminiscing about Ox-King's time as Roshi's pupil.  
  
As the song changed Gohan started move to the new tune. The same Saiyan instincts that allowed him to fight without thinking seemed to automatically guide his body through the dance, leading Videl. The lyrics started and Gohan listened to them, still looking around the room, his view now on his parents.  
#  
I've been meaning to tell you  
I've got this feelin' that won't subside  
I look at you and I fantasize  
Darlin' tonight  
Now I've got you in my sights  
#  
They both seemed to be doing what the music said. An effect not wholly unexpected in a reunion after seven years.  
#  
With these hungry eyes  
One look at you and I can't disguise  
I've got hungry eyes  
I feel the magic between you and I  
#  
Magic was definitely in the air. Between his parents, between him and Videl, between Krillin and 18 and also between Bulma and Vegeta, though the latter of those two would never admit to it.  
#  
I want to hold you so hear me out  
I want to show you what love's all about  
Darlin' tonight  
Now I've got you in my sights  
#  
Gohan felt Videl pressing into him more firmly at the words 'I want to hold you' and looking over to Goku and Chi-Chi could see his mom doing the same to his dad. He smiled as he held Videl close, it was one of those moments where love seemed to be almost tangible.  
#  
With these hungry eyes  
One look at you and I can't disguise  
I've got hungry eyes  
I feel the magic between you and I  
#  
Gohan and Goku exchanged a smile. It was almost a father and son bonding moment, each man holding the woman he loved as they slowly danced.  
#  
Now I've got you in my sights  
With these hungry eyes  
Now did I take you by surprise  
I need you to see  
This love was meant to be  
#  
Gohan certainly felt that way. His love for Videl was meant to be. It felt too right for her to be in his arms for that line not to apply. As he looked around, first at his parents, then at Krillin and 18 and finally at Bulma and Vegeta, it struck him that all those relationships were somehow meant to be. As unlikely as they seemed. His parents were probably the only couple around that wasn't unlikely they'd been dating since they were kids. But Krillin and 18, Krillin had always had a, somewhat problematic love life, to put it mildly, and 18 was a killer android designed to enslave the world in a reign of terror. And then Bulma and Vegeta, if there was a classic model for a relationship that defied all odds that had to be it, all they ever seemed to do was fight, but now that Vegeta had Bulma in his arms and was dancing with her their love was plainly visible.  
For a moment his odd couples list seemed to stop there until her realised that along with Videl he qualified as well, she'd been after Sayaman's secret from the start, and hadn't been to keen on Gohan either in the beginning. And on top of all that, she was the daughter of Hercule Satan, the man that had stolen the glory for Gohan's victory over Cell.  
Ah well. Gohan reasoned. At least it can't be said I have a boring life.  
And with that thought he turned his attention to dancing again, not wanting to let go of his fiancée just yet.  
  
A few hours later the party was over and Videl along with the Son family headed for the 439 mountain area. She smiled as she looked around. To her left Goku was carrying Chi-Chi who didn't know how to fly, while to her right Gohan was carrying a sleeping Goten.  
As they reached the Son family home Videl clicked her house cap and dropped it where it had been like a little miniature bomb, making the house reappear in virtually the exact same spot it had occupied before.  
Gohan landed in front of her house beside her.  
"Would you mind if Goten and me spend the night in your second bedroom? I think mom and dad would like a little privacy on his first night back."  
"No I don't mind." She told him. "I'll go tell your parents where you're staying, why don't you tuck in Goten in the mean time."  
He nodded and stepped inside as she walked over to Goku and Chi-Chi.  
"Gohan and Goten are staying with me tonight." She told them. "Gohan thought you two might like a little privacy."   
She smiled as Chi-Chi and Goku both blushed a little.  
"Thanks Videl." Chi-Chi finally said still blushing. "It will be nice to have some time alone."  
"You're welcome, I'd be happy to have them stay a couple of nights if you want."  
"I don't think that will be necessary. But thank you for the offer."  
"Okay, good night."  
"Good night Videl, and wish the boys good night for us as well." Goku said.  
She nodded and headed back to her own house smiling as she heard a door open and close quite urgently behind her.  
  
Gohan smiled as well when Videl entered the house. He was waiting for her on the sofa, having just tucked Goten in. The younger demi-Saiyan hadn't even opened his eyes when his brother dematerialised his clothes, exchanging them for pyjamas. He'd just continued to breath softly as he was laid down and the covers were pulled up over him.  
"Hi Videl." Gohan said, not really knowing another way to start the conversation.  
"Hi Gohan. You parents told me to say good night for them."  
"Thanks, did they seem happy about it."  
"I think so, they certainly got inside in ten seconds flat after I turned around."  
"I thought he would enjoy some time alone." Gohan said, feeling his smile widen.  
"So what are we going to do the rest of the summer?" Videl asked. "Do you have any other off-world appointments that I should know about?"  
"No," he responded with a bit of a chuckle, "I was just planning to train, and to help you train so we'll be ready for the World Tournament. If I'm right it'll be held a couple of weeks after school starts again."  
"It will be. Though I must say I don't know why I would train for it, my hopes of winning are practically nil now."  
Gohan couldn't help but chuckle a little at this. "I'm afraid that's true. Even if it's possible I don't think you'll become stronger than a Super-Saiyan in a month and a half, but you just might make it to about Krillin's level."  
"And where would that put me?"  
"Krillin is about the strongest Human fighter there is, he and Tien are about as strong as each other, though I'm not sure if Tien counts as Human, since he's a triclops, I never found out if he's a mutant of some kind or really another species."  
Videl yawned as she nodded.  
"We'd better get you to bed." Gohan said picking her up and carrying her to the bedroom tucking her in as he had Goten only a little while earlier.  
  
The next few days followed a set pattern, the only difference between the first day and the rest of the week being that Gohan and Goten from Videl's house to join their parents for breakfast the first day, and resumed their stay at home afterwards.  
Each day would start off with a large breakfast in the kitchen. Videl would always join the others as Chi-Chi insisted on it, telling Videl that she'd have enough cooking to do when she and Gohan got married so she should enjoy her freedom while it lasted.  
Then after breakfast was eaten and the dishes were done, Goku and Goten would go to Capsule Corp. to spar with Vegeta and Trunks while Gohan and Videl trained outside in the mountains.  
Gohan could sense Videl's frustration starting to increase after five days in this rhythm. She was making good progress, but seemed to have reached a plain where she was waiting for a break through.  
"How about we go do something with Sharpner and Erasa?" He asked one night before dinner. "We haven't seen them in a while."  
She smiled and nodded. "I just hope they aren't worried about me, if they've tried to contact me at home I have no idea what they would have heard."  
"Yeah, we haven't even told them about our engagement yet." Gohan said.  
Just then Chi-Chi's voice came echoing through the valley from the Son home. "Gohan, Videl diner!"  
They looked at each other for a second and then ran for home together. After a long day of training even Videl got hungry and Gohan being Saiyan didn't even need the day of training to be hungry.  
About an hour, and sixty-five courses later, from the Gohan's point of view, and 5 courses from Videl's, they said good-bye to the rest of the family and took off towards Satan city.  
  
Videl was surprised when she turned to Gohan near Satan City to see him transform into Sayaman.  
"Why...?" She asked, not even bothering to make a real question out of something so obvious.  
"Well I think it's best not to be seen flying under our own power as ourselves. So..." He too didn't finish his sentence, but his held out arms gave a clear message, he wanted to carry her.  
She couldn't help smiling a little as she flew over to him, to come to rest in his arms. It was the first time they'd done this in mid-air, but it always felt good when he held her and this time was no exception.  
About ten minutes later Gohan landed in the park where they were supposed to meet Sharpner and Erasa. Videl had made the phone-call during Gohan's last five courses.  
As Gohan put her down Videl immediately turned to him to kiss him, not giving him time to transform back as her lips pressed against his.  
"Videl!" A shocked voice behind her made her break the kiss and turn around to see Erasa and Sharpner standing there.  
"Hi guys." She replied, a bit surprised by the shocked looks on their faces.  
"Videl, what are you doing with him, I thought you were going out with Gohan." Erasa said.  
Suddenly it hit her. They didn't know Gohan was Sayaman, so they thought she was cheating on Gohan with Sayaman.  
Gohan, or rather Sayaman gave a chuckle.  
"This isn't funny." Videl said, punching him lightly.  
"Awe come on Videl, of course it is. We should have realised they'd find out eventually."  
"Maybe so, but still..."  
"You mean this has been going on longer?" Sharpner asked apparently to follow the eventually comment.  
"Actually I think this is the first time Videl has kissed me as Sayaman." Gohan said.  
"So that means she's kissed your secret identity." Sharpner wanted to know.  
"Yes." Gohan said, apparently deciding to drop the act and pressing the button on his watch to turn back into himself. "Of course she has."  
  
Gohan almost enjoyed the surprised gasps coming from Sharpner and Erasa as he transformed. And he certainly enjoyed Videl kissing him directly after he had.  
"You... you... you're Sayaman?" Sharpner finally managed to stutter.  
"Yes." Gohan said, as Videl finally stopped the kiss giving him back his ability to speak.  
"But... but, why?" Erasa asked.  
"To protect my identity, I can't really see a crime without wanting to stop it, I get that from my father's side."  
"So how do you fly, and how does that costume work." Sharpner enquired.  
"Flying is just something you can learn, at least some people can, as for the costume, Bulma made it for me, so she's the only one that knows how the transformation process works. I just press the little red button."  
"What do you mean you can learn to fly?"  
"Why don't you show him Videl?" Gohan said.  
Videl nodded and a smile crept onto his face as Videl slowly levitated off the ground and Sharpner and Erasa's jaws dropped.  
"How... How..." Sharpner was again lost for words.  
"Gohan taught me." Videl simply said as she landed.  
"So." Gohan said, after a moment of silence that lasted a bit too long. "Where shall we go now?"  
"I think they're still not quite back to reality." Videl said leaning into his arm, pointing at Sharpner and Erasa whose mouths were still open wide enough for a bird to land in.  
  
Videl just stood there leaning against Gohan for a while, enjoying the view of their two blond friends with surprised mouths gaping open.  
Finally when a few minutes had passed with neither Sharpner nor Erasa moving she walked over there and lightly smacked them both in the back of the head, bringing them out of it.  
"Welcome back to the world of the living." She said with a smile. "Now I believe the question was where shall we go?"  
"Let's just stay here in the park." Erasa said. "It's a beautiful night and there's a lot to talk about."  
"Like what?" Videl asked, hoping not to get to many questions on the whole flying business.  
"Like why every time we called your house you weren't there." Erasa continued.  
"Oh, my dad told me to leave after Gohan and I got engaged." Videl said, enjoying the return of a shocked look to the faces of her friends.  
"You're evil." Gohan chuckled. "Dropping all of that on them without warning."  
Videl just smirked. She did have a bit of a mean streak in her, not really evil but mean. And it certainly allowed her to enjoy shocking the living daylights out of her friends.  
Fortunately the shock effect didn't last as long this time and Erasa and Sharpner closed their mouths again without help only a few seconds later.  
"When did this happen?" Erasa asked. "Cause we've been trying to call you for like a week."  
"It's been a little over a week."  
"A week and you didn't tell me!" Erasa shrieked outraged.  
"We've been a little busy," Gohan said before Videl could reply herself, "we had to go to another planet to take care of some things."  
"How on earth do you get to another planet in a week?" Sharpner asked. "Even mars would take months."  
"Using human technology yes." Gohan said.  
"Human technology as opposed to what?"  
"Alien technology, you didn't think we didn't get any after that battle twelve years ago. But it's kind of a secret. Not even the government knows it still exists, let alone who have it."  
"But you do."  
"Of course, I was on the team that faced the aliens remember."  
"Okay. So what did you have to do that you had to go to another world?"  
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. A few people will probably be mad at me for just telling you we have the ability to get there in about a week."  
  
A couple of minutes later the group had split up, Gohan and Sharpner were of talking while Videl was left with Erasa.  
"So tell me." Erasa said excitedly. "How did he pop the question?"  
"In mid air." Videl said grinning at the memory.  
"In mid air?" Erasa shrieked again surprised.  
"Yeah, I was practicing some moves while flying, and he suddenly popped up in front of me. So I stopped. Then he like dropped to one knee, even though he was floating and got out a ring and me if I would marry him."  
"How romantic." Erasa sighed, with little hearts in her eyes.  
"Anyway," Videl continued, "he kind of surprised me so I actually dropped out of the sky in shock. But just when I was about to hit the ground he caught me."  
"So romantic." Erasa sighed again. "So what happened with your dad?"  
"Well when we told him I was going to marry Gohan he got angry and told me to get out. But now it's my turn to ask a question. Have you an Sharpner set a date yet?"  
"Well yes, that's why we were trying to call you, we're getting married in two weeks."  
"That's great." Videl said. "So who's going to be your bridesmaid?"  
"Well if you'd like to we were wondering if you would do it. In fact Sharpner is asking Gohan to be the best man as well, unless you guys are up for that double wedding."  
"No, we've already set a date as well, as things stand now we're going to get married at the World Tournament."  
"Isn't that a rather odd occasion?" Erasa asked.  
"Maybe, but it seems like a good time. It sort of came from Gohan's parents, they got married after the 23rd."  
"Okay." Erasa said, as Sharpner and Gohan reappeared. "And?" She asked Sharpner.  
"He'll do it." Sharpner told her.  
"Good."  
"Now with that out of the way I think it's about time for us to head home." Videl said, turning to Gohan.  
"Okay, let's go."  
And after exchanging good-byes with Sharpner and Erasa they took off, heading for home.  
  
Videl got to her capsule house just in time to answer the phone.  
"Videl Satan speaking." She said, politely but business like as she answered it.  
"Hey Videl it's Bulma."  
"Hi Bulma, why are you calling?" She asked, a bit confused.  
"Well I just realised we haven't really thrown an engagement party for you and Gohan yet. So I wanted to have a little get together tomorrow."  
"Sure Bulma, we'll be there, how big a little get together are we talking about?"  
"Probably the whole gang, I arranged for some entertainment and I think most of them will appreciate an excuse not to train for the evening."  
"Okay, I'll tell the others over here, what time should we be there?"  
"Let's say six, I'll make some arrangement's to have dinner for the whole group here."  
"Okay, see you tomorrow."  
"See you then Videl."  
And so the conversation ended and Videl, after going over to the Son house to tell them about the party, went to sleep, to get her energy back up for training the next day.  
  
The next day was a normal day of training. Videl sparred with one, rather weak Gohan, while two stronger parts of his multi-form split were sparring with each other. However when instead of stopping at the normal time of six, when Chi-Chi would call for dinner they stopped at five thirty so they could each take a shower and get changed before heading to Capsule Corporation.  
Gohan raised his hand and knocked on the back door of the Capsule Corp. building at six o'clock on the dot. His parents and little brother were already there. Since Goku and Goten went over in the morning to spar Chi-Chi had decided to come with them so she could give Bulma a hand, helping the other woman to get everything ready.  
Within a few minutes the gang was complete again and dinner started, making Gohan's sense of taste the only one of his senses that really registered anything for a while.  
After he'd finished eating Gohan made small talk with various other members of the group for a while, until at seven Bulma announced that it was time for the entertainment. With some excitement the group followed her to a private in house cinema.  
When everyone was seated and supplied with snacks, the latter being especially important to the Saiyan members of the group, Bulma turned of the lights and hit a switch to start the film.  
Gohan just about jumped out of his seat in horror as the movies intro flashed across the screen.  
  
Waves and Rocks productions presents.  
A Satan City Films Production  
Directed by John Luney  
When the Aliens Came.  
  
Gohan sighed. There was no way to stop this now. Even if he could get Bulma to stop the movie Vegeta would probably go somewhere to watch it, to see why it had been stopped, and the results wouldn't be pretty.  
He heard the rest of the group, except for Videl, gasp collectively as more writing filled the screen, with an all to familiar text.  
  
About twelve years ago, the world was glued to the TV as reports of aliens landing on earth and fighting a Special Forces unit filled their screens. Now we are proud to bring you a re-enactment of what happened then.  
  
Gohan powered up to Super-Saiyan as he felt Vegeta do the same, the instant he and Nappa appeared on the screen. He could feel similar reactions from his dad, Goten and Trunks, and smiled a little again. The four of them should be able to keep Vegeta in check.  
Vegeta dropped right out of Super-Saiyan again when he saw Trunks and Goten transform. Goku actually started laughing as he saw this.  
"What's so funny Kakarott?" Vegeta asked, sounding very annoyed in deed.  
"Oh it's just that I really didn't think you could go so long without noticing they were Super-Saiyans. The transform every time they spar, I can feel it when we're fighting."  
Vegeta just grumbled something about not being able to watch the brats all the time and having more important things on his mind when he sparred.  
  
A few moments later something wholly unexpected happened. As the picture showed the special forces team Vegeta actually started to laugh out loud.  
"You didn't tell me you'd found such a great comedy." He commented to Bulma as 'Gohan' came into view, transformed into a Namek with hair.  
Gohan didn't know whether to feel insulted by the comment or pleased that Vegeta didn't seem to be planning on blowing anything up in the short term.  
After a while he decided on the latter, though he stayed alert just in case.  
Vegeta managed to contain himself for a long time, but went Super again after 'Yamcha' and 'Nappa' killed him.  
"What the hell!" He yelled. "How could those two weaklings ever hurt me, even put together they wouldn't even have been half as strong as me."  
"Relax Vegeta, it's just a movie." Bulma commented, using her special talent for handling the Saiyan prince to calm him down.  
Vegeta did indeed calm down some and laughed again as 'Yamcha' married 'Nappa'. Gohan, and all of the others breathed a sigh of relief. But later after the movie had happened it remained the topic of their conversations for a long time. With everyone complaining about they way they'd been portrayed.  
"I can't belief they did that to my hair." Yamcha exclaimed.  
"Well you had it easy." Krillin responded. "They misplaced half my dots."  
"That's nothing." Tien said. "You didn't have an eye moved."  
"Well what about me." Gohan said. "I didn't see any of you being turned into other species."  
"And I didn't see any of you marrying Nappa." Yamcha stated, ending the discussion.  
  
/*  
Next time on Life is Strange, Sharpner and Erasa get married and Gohan and Videl meet Hercule again at the reception. Also the training for the world tournament continues and the tournament itself draws nearer.  
  
Well it took me a while to get this one out. Six days. And almost all of it was written in the last three, I had a severe case of writers block the first three days. Hope you enjoyed it. I hope to update again by next Friday. Maybe sooner, but I have a busy schedule next week and even this weekend for that matter.  
Anyway, until then, please review.  
*/ 


	13. Word Get’s Out

/*  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ isn't mine, Gohan is, well in my dreams he is at any rate.  
  
Anything between /* and */ is just me budding in, so is anything after // up until the next hard return.  
For those of you that realised, I'm trying to learn to program in C++ as a hobby, that's the origin of the commentary codes.  
  
*/  
  
/*   
  
Response to reviews:  
  
To Lady Queen:  
It's quite all right, you don't have to review every chapter, lord knows I review hardly anything I read. But I'm just not good at writing reviews. Glad you liked it.  
  
To Tanyaneko:  
Glad you liked it, this is (hopefully) another funny chapter. Though Yamcha isn't marrying Nappa this time. But I have to agree with you, that one of the better jokes in this fic.  
  
To kat:  
Just shows us how caught up in his own training Vegeta is, but you would think he would have noticed. Another puzzle on which you agree with me, after the cliffs thing last time.  
  
To edward-tivrusky-5:  
Maybe one chappie was a bit over enthousiastic on how short I'll be able to keep it, I don't quite know yet, but it shouldn't be too long. I hope you like this chapter the world tournament is coming up in the next.  
  
To Ryan:  
Well you should be alive again. I used the special one-day-recharging-died-of-laughter-reviewer-reviving-dragon-balls Piccolo made for me to wish you back. Glad you enjoyed it so much, I love the fake e-mail addys. Also thanks for leaving so many, get's my average number of reviews per chapter up like nothing else.  
  
To Saiyaman!:  
Well I don't know whether my being Dutch has a lot to do with those mistakes. This story certainly isn't erorr three, certaily not at this point. Once it's finished, and Dende only knows when that will be, I'm planning to really go over the entire thing again. And hopefully get any mistakes that are left out.  
  
To Everyone:  
Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you all liked it. Also be sure to check out the questions at the bottom of this chapter. I'd really like to get everyone's opinion on them.  
  
Also I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed any chapter here. I recently counted the words of my review backup file, well I had my computer do it for me, and it totals over 6000 right now, that's about the size of a chapter. This chapter in fact is shorter than all the combined reviews.  
  
*/  
  
Life Is Strange  
  
Saga: The World Tournament  
  
Chapter 13 (or 14a for the superstitious): Word Get's Out  
  
"Fight me damn it!" Videl's voice echoed through the valley.  
"Language." Gohan said with a smile, continuing to just block her attacks, acting as a human, or rather a demi-Saiyan, target.  
"You can be so frustrating some times."  
"I know, but right now it wouldn't be good for me to fight back, we can't have a bruised bridesmaid at Sharpner and Erasa's wedding now can we."  
"You're right, do you have any idea just how annoyingly right you are?"  
"No, but I bet it isn't as annoying as the dress."  
"Don't get me started on that. I still don't see why I have to wear that horrible thing."  
"Come on Videl, it's not that bad, at least it isn't pink."  
"Of course it isn't, Erasa knows I wouldn't come if she tried to get me into a pink dress."  
"I think I wouldn't come either is she tried to do that to me." Gohan said in a serious tone and Videl knew she'd lost.  
She doubled over laughing, at the thought of Erasa asking Gohan to put on some frilly, pink, lace monstrosity and then even harder at the thought of Gohan in such a dress. No that definitely wouldn't be a good idea.  
"Well if you're done laughing we really should get ready." Gohan said.  
"Guess you're right. We don't want to mess up Sharpner and Erasa's wedding."  
"Yeah, I imagine it would be somewhat awkward without a bridesmaid and a best man."  
"Okay, I'll go home and get into the powder blue horror Erasa selected and you can get into your tux. We'll meet again, outside in let's say 30 minutes."  
  
Thirty minutes later exactly Gohan left the Son house and walked about halfway onto the field that separated it from Videl's capsule house. His tux was powder blue, like Videl's dress, a colour selected by Erasa who would of course be in white, while Sharpner would wear a black tux.  
Gohan almost gasped when Videl came out, she looked stunning in the dress in spite of all her complaints about having to wear it, though she did look a little uncomfortable and self-aware.  
"How do I look?" She asked sounding nervous.  
"Breath-taking." Gohan replied without hesitation. "We'd better hope Erasa won't be jealous."  
"I'm sure she won't be." Videl replied. "If she could pick something breath-taking for me, I'm sure she picked something even more breath-taking for herself, besides, you're biased."  
"Am not, just because I think you're the most beautiful woman that ever lived doesn't necessarily make me biased." Gohan couldn't refrain from smiling as he said this.  
"Yes it does, and you know it. But don't stop thinking like that."  
"I won't. Now put this on."   
Videl adopted a surprised look as he handed her his spare Sayaman watch. "What do I need this for?"  
"Our trip there, I don't think it's a good idea for you to fly in a dress, though the people on the ground would probably enjoy it."  
Videl nodded as she transformed into Sayaman along with Gohan.  
"Let's go." She said, taking to the air.  
"Yeah." Gohan stated, taking of after her. "We don't want to miss the opportunity to calm down Sharpner and Erasa before the big event starts."  
  
Videl sighed a little over 20 minutes later when the prophetic quality of Gohan's words was proven. With about forty minutes left before the wedding her blond friend was almost literally shaking.   
"What's wrong Erasa?" She enquired.  
"I don't know, it's just this all seems to be moving so fast. It all feels right, but still it's very fast."  
"I know." Videl sighed. "Sometimes I feel the same way about me and Gohan. But I don't know, when we're together it's just so right, at some point things just can't go to fast, if it's meant to be go for it."  
"Are you sure?"  
"From what Gohan tells me his father didn't even realise what marriage was when his parents got together." Erasa stared at this so Videl continued. "From what I've heard Gohan's dad grew up in the wild, only met a girl for the first time when he was 11."  
"And his parents are still together?" Erasa asked, sounding incredibly amazed.  
"Yeah, and happily so. I guess it just depends on whether or not something is meant to be. And on whether or not you truly love each other."  
"I guess you're right. I'm just nervous right now, everything will be alright when I see Sharpner again at the altar."  
  
At the same time in another room, Gohan too realised how prophetic his own words had been.  
"Oh Kami, what's going to happen, I love her but isn't this too soon, if something happens will she hate me, will we..."  
"Relax, Sharpner!"  
"Yeah, but what if..."  
"No buts, no what ifs, do you love her?"  
"Yes, but..."  
"I said no buts. Just answer the questions. You love her, but does it feel right to?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Does it feel like you were meant to love her, like it's the sole reason you were put on this Earth?"  
"Yes."  
"Then relax, you'll be fine. Believe me, I've seen a lot stranger couples make it together because they were meant to be."  
"Like who?"  
"Bulma and Vegeta for one."  
"Bulma, as in Bulma Brief."  
"Yeah, her marriage is like a war zone. The first real conversation they had started with her ordering him to shower and then he called her servant woman while asking for a towel. It's still a lot like that in ways, she tells him what to do, he complains, but does it anyway, and usually refuses to use her name, at least when anyone else is around."  
"And you say they love each other?"  
"Yes, neither of them would stay near the other for a minute if they didn't, they're both to strong willed. So, you don't have anything to worry about. As long as you're sure you're meant to be together you're as ready as you'll ever be."  
"Thanks Gohan, it's just, I don't know, there's less than an hour left before the wedding starts, I guess it's just some last minute jitters."  
"Yeah, your last minutes as a free man."  
"Well it had to happen some time, besides Erasa is the only one I want anyway."  
  
Gohan and Videl let out a slight sigh together about an hour later when the Priest announced: "You may now kiss the bride."  
The worry about their friends nerves had now been officially lifted of their shoulders, the two blonds could worry about each other now.  
"I'm glad that's over." Gohan whispered to Videl as the newly married couple kissed. "I though Sharpner was going to make a run for the border because of his nerves."  
"Well that wouldn't have been a problem, they could have gotten married at customs, because Erasa was about ready to make a break for it as well."  
Gohan chuckled softly. "I wonder if we'll be that nervous." He whispered.  
"Maybe, we're taking a little more time so maybe it'll be less intense."  
"Hopefully, and since we've been through so much together, I suppose we're probably a bit more accustomed to each other as well."  
Meanwhile Sharpner had finally finished kissing Erasa and the whole company followed them outside, where the bouquet would be thrown before they moved on to the reception.  
To Gohan's surprise Videl didn't need any encouragement to join the group of girls attempting to catch. Most of them he knew, at least by side, virtually everyone their age at the wedding went to OSH.  
"Catch." Erasa yelled, turning her back to the group of girls and throwing the bouquet over her shoulder.  
The bouquet went quite high and several girls jumped up, trying to catch it. Videl of course jumped higher than any of the others and deftly caught the flowers.  
"Wow Videl, you're going to get married next." A guy called Rick said. "Who's the lucky guy?"  
Gohan smiled as Videl shot him a quick look, he understood, it was up to him whether or not people got to know.  
"That would be me." He said, stepping forward.  
The comment caused a collective gasp and then whispers:   
"Is this real?" "Are they actually..." "damn he's taken" "I can't believe someone actually manage to get Videl" "they do make a cute couple though"  
  
A while later at the reception Videl suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. Had she really just heard his voice?  
No it's impossible. She thought to herself. How could my dad be here, Sharpner and Erasa know about me and Gohan and his reaction.  
When she heard it again she turned around to see Erasa behind her smiling apologetically.  
"Sorry, I know you probably don't want to meet him. But my parents invited him and he showed up."  
"It's okay, let's just hope he doesn't make a scene, or run into Gohan."  
Just then her fear was realised as she heard his voice again over the crowd. "What are you doing here punk."  
"Too late." She sighed, pushing her way past people to get as close as possible to where they were facing off.  
"I came to my friends' wedding, I didn't think it would be a great success without a best man." Gohan said, polite, but colder than Videl had ever heard him.  
Excited whispers broke out around her, it was a well known fact that Hercule wouldn't allow anyone to date his daughter unless the boy could defeat him, and yet it seemed Gohan and Videl were engaged. What should they make of this?  
"Oh boy." Videl muttered to Erasa who was still beside her. "This could turn nasty."  
"We have to do something, but what?"  
"Leave it to me." Videl said, trying to reassure her friend as she stepped forward.  
  
Gohan looked over to Videl and Erasa as he felt his fiancée's Ki rise slightly. He noticed the gleam in her eye and smiled, whatever was going on, she had a plan, that much was clear.  
"Hi daddy." She said in a cheerful voice stepping forward and approaching Hercule to enter into a conversation that just the three of them heard, Videl and Hercule because they were standing close together and Gohan thanks to his Saiyan hearing.  
"Videl get out of here, this guy's not normal I think he may attack us."  
"Daddy please, he's my fiancée, he wouldn't hurt me, and because you're my father he wouldn't hurt you, well not too badly anyway."  
Gohan smirked at this exchange, she was right, he wouldn't hurt Hercule too badly, and not here, maybe he would get a chance to at the tournament.  
For now however he had to make due with glaring at Hercule in a fashion that would have made Vegeta proud. Hercule started to shake a little under Gohan's gaze and Gohan noted with some amusement the surprised whispers coming from the audience, after all here was a man who they thought to be the world's strongest, quailing under the stare of a boy generally thought to be a nerd.  
"But Videl..." Hercule whispered back.  
"No buts dad. Now behave for the rest of the party, I don't want to ruin my friends wedding."  
Hercule nodded slowly, clearly intimidated, both by his daughter and by Gohan's death glare, still firmly locked on him.  
  
As Videl turned away from her father, who was nodding slowly and rather fearfully, she was all too aware of the silence that filled the room. Everyone's attention was still focused on her father, Gohan and herself.  
"Let's dance." She told Gohan, pulling him away from the scene and onto the dance floor.  
"That was close." Gohan whispered as they started to dance. "I was afraid I was going to have to fight him."  
"I know, but I didn't think it would be a good idea for you to beat dad in front of all these people, they'll find out at the tournament I suppose, but there's no reason to upset their whole view of reality before then."  
Gohan chuckled a little. "It would have been fun though." He said almost wistfully.  
"What?" Videl asked.  
"The crowds reaction if I'd beaten him, and kicking his butt, he just gets on my nerves, both because of the whole Cell-games thing, and with all his talk about Ki being just a trick."  
"I know, it gets on my nerves too."  
  
The rest of the reception had passed without incident and for Gohan and Videl the event had been all but forgotten the next day when their training continued. In deed it only came up again when they went back to school.  
"Did you guys really get engaged?" "Did you fight her dad Gohan?" "Is it true that you and Hercule fought at Sharpner and Erasa's wedding?" These and a million other questions greeted them as soon as they walked into the building.  
"At least you won't be bothered by any of the guys anymore." Gohan said to Videl as they walked inside.  
"Yeah, but I'm thinking we should schedule a press conference, or at least some sort of address to the rest of the students. But we'll let the principal suggest it, she'll probably get fed up with nobody doing anything other than asking us questions in a few days anyway."  
"I think she's already fed up with it."  
"What makes you say that?"  
"Look a little to the left, by the classroom door."  
Videl looked up and saw principal Johnson standing there with a somewhat pained smile on her face.  
"Ah, Mr. Son, Ms. Satan, I'm glad to see you survived the living obstacle course that currently fills the entire system of corridors from the front entrance to this point."  
"Yeah, sorry about that." Gohan said apologetically. "We weren't expecting this kind of reaction to things or we would have made some sort of announcement."  
"That's quite alright mister Son, however I would be grateful if you and miss Satan would address a school assembly after your first class of the day, I'm afraid not much will get done otherwise."  
"Of course." Videl said. "We'll be there."  
"Thank you." The principal said, giving a slight nod as she walked back to her office.  
  
"Time to face the masses." Gohan remarked as they headed for the assembly hall after their first class.  
"Come on Gohan." Videl tried to encourage him. "You mean to tell me you can face genetically and mechanically engineered super villains and defeat them, but you can't take on a group of high school students?"  
"Oh, I can take them on, if it's a fight, but telling them stuff, about us, that's scary."  
"Come now Gohan it's not like your entire circle of family and friends is going to drop in on us."  
"I hope not, you never know with my family and friends. But for now, let's face our peers."   
As he said these words they arrived at the doors to the already filled assembly hall. Videl was all to aware of the stares and whispers as she and Gohan walked up to the podium, rather than taking the stairs, that were to the far right and would mean they'd have to walk in front of a lot of students she decided to avoid close contact for the time being and simply jumped up. She turned around after landing on the stage and looked down at Gohan. He simply shrugged his shoulders and jumped as well, landing next to her.  
After exchanging a small smile, mostly meant for encouragement, they headed for the table that had been set up on stage. The principal was sitting there, waiting for them.  
"Mr. Son, ms. Satan, I'm glad you could join me. Now if you'll be seated I'll address the crowd."  
Gohan and Videl sat down as principal Johnson switched on her microphone.  
"Alright everyone. Please quiet down." She paused for a moment to let the hall grow silent. "Now I'm sure you're all aware of the rumours about Mr. Son and Ms. Satan that have been keeping you all from paying attention during your first class of this school year. To prevent such a lack of attention during the rest of your classes I've asked the two parties involved to come here to hopefully clear up this whole matter so you can on your scholastic duties again. So if one of you would like to take over..." she finished turning to Gohan and Videl.  
Videl looked at Gohan, to see him looking at her. There seemed to be a lot of information exchanged in that glance, on a subconscious level, not the way it would be with the bond, from what Bulma had told her, but still they understood each other.  
She raised an eyebrow, and Gohan nodded, switching on his own mike.  
"Alright, I'll say a few basic things, and then we'll take questions. First of all, to answer a question I heard several times this morning, yes, Videl and I are engaged."  
Videl couldn't help smiling as he had to pause for excited and surprised gasps coming from everyone in the hall, sure they'd heard the rumour, but she had to admit it did sound unlikely. The most unapproachable girl in school, not to mention the school's toughest fighter, or so they thought, falling for a guy assumed to be a nerd. Not to mention the fact she'd always been voted least likely to get married.  
After a while the room became quiet again and Gohan continued.  
"All right, now that we have that out of the way. One more thing, I didn't fight with Hercule at Sharpner and Erasa's wedding. Those of you who were there know that already. The only thing that happened there was a slight argument or rather the beginning of one, so far I haven't fought Hercule at all, but depending on the draw it may happen at the world tournament in a few weeks."  
Another bout of surprised whispers broke out.   
Gohan was going to enter the word tournament, the nerd, the geek, fight?  
Videl could understand, before she got to really know Gohan she would have felt the same, but now that she'd seen him in action...  
Suddenly Videl noticed something.  
"Gohan." She said, causing almost everyone in the hall to look up. "Do you feel that?"  
"Now that you mention it, yes, but why would they be coming here?"  
"I don't know, to make our lives hell, but that's usually just a side effect."  
"Yeah, who knows, maybe Bulma finally found a way to disprove Einstein's relativity theory and sent them to get word. Or Vegeta is mad at them again and they're looking for shelter. Whatever it is, we'll find out in about five, four, three, two, one."  
  
As Gohan finished his countdown he saw the door into the assembly hall open to reveal Goten and Trunks, as predicted.  
"Hi Gohan!"  
"Hi big brother!"  
The two kids screamed their welcome as they ran up the path to the stage.  
"Hi, Goten, Trunks, what are you guys doing here?" He questioned.  
"We saw you on TV." Goten chirped happily, while climbing onto Gohan's shoulders.  
"What I'm on TV?"  
"Uh uh, we brought Trunks portable to show you."  
Gohan looked down at the lavender haired boy who produced a capsule and threw it down to make a large TV with build in power source emerge. Leaving Gohan to stare at his own bewildered face on the screen.  
After the first shock had worn of he looked down to read the caption 'Z-TV live exclusive Videl Satan engaged.'  
"I think we may just be having my entire circle of family and friend drop by." Gohan told Videl. "The instant they notice this..."  
He was interrupted by his dad's voice. As his parents appeared beside him by means of an instant transmission. "Gohan, why didn't you tell us you were going to have a... what did you call it again Chi-Chi?"  
"A press conference Goku."  
"We're not."  
"Not what?"  
"Having a press conference, this is supposed to be for school only but apparently someone smuggled a camera in here and..."  
Just then he was interrupted again, this time by Krillin and #18 walking in with Marron.  
"Hey guys." Krillin greeted. "We were out shopping and Marron saw you all on TV as we past an electronics store so I just locked onto your Ki to see what's happening."  
"Long story Krillin." Gohan called back. "This was supposed to be just to stop the rumours flying around school, but somebody smuggled a camera in here and..."  
Again Gohan was interrupted this time by the arrival of Yamcha, Tien and Chaozu.  
"Hey Gohan," the tall three eyed man greeted him on behalf of the group, "Chaozu and I were at Yamcha's and then suddenly they interrupted the re-run of Yamcha's last game for this, why didn't you tell us about this?"  
"Because it wasn't planned," Gohan explained again, "this was just a meeting for the school because people were speculating about me and Videl. But someone smuggled a camera in here and..."  
Again he was interrupted by new arrivals, this time it was Vegeta and Bulma, who had apparently arrived at the same time as master Roshi.  
"Hi Gohan, why are you having this here? The press room at CC would have been much more suited." Bulma said, while Vegeta scowled next to her.  
"And why did you schedule it where it interrupts my favourite aerobics program." Master Roshi added, rather angrily.  
Gohan sighed, here we go again, "This wasn't scheduled at all, we were supposed to just be addressing the rest of the pupils here at school, but someone must have smuggled in a camera and..."  
I shouldn't have said and. Gohan thought, as Piccolo arrived. It seems to draw people here.  
"Why is everyone here?" Piccolo asked. "Is there some sort of trouble?"  
"No Piccolo." Gohan replied. "It's just that everyone saw me and Videl on TV and then came here. This wasn't even supposed to be on TV, but someone smuggled a camera in here."  
"And?" Krillin asked.  
"And I'm still trying to figure out whether that's a good thing or a bad thing." Gohan stated.  
  
He's got a point. Videl thought, as silence fell after Gohan's last comment. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I really don't know. I suppose it is a good thing that we won't have to worry about it anymore, the whole world either knows by now, or will know by the six o'clock news.  
She shot a look at Gohan who smiled at her. He'd probably come to the same conclusion.   
"Well since this has turned into a press-conference let's wrap it up, any questions?" She asked, turning to the audience.  
"Have you set a date?" One kid yelled out.  
Videl looked to Gohan again and he nodded.  
"Yes, we're planning to get married after the World Tournament, probably on the same day."  
"Will there be any media there?" Another kid asked.  
Videl didn't even have to look at Gohan before answering this one. They hadn't discussed it yet, but she knew she could speak for him.  
"No, it's going to be a private ceremony."  
"Who's the green guy?" Videl didn't know where this question came from and was beaten to the answer by Gohan.  
"His name's Piccolo, he's a friend."  
"And the rest of them?"  
"Friend and family." Gohan responded again.  
"All right, last question." Principal Johnson said, trying to regain some control.  
There was some shouting in the hall as about a hundred hands shot into the air. Videl took over again and stared for a moment before picking one hand and pointing at it. "You, shoot."  
When she looked closer she saw she'd indicated Jim, a boy from their own class.  
"How about a kiss in front of the camera." Jim called, to immediately afterwards be high-fived by the kid sitting next to him.  
Videl looked over to Gohan who got a naughty version of the trademarked Son grin and he walked over.  
"How about it?" He whispered in her ear, taking her into his arms.  
"Why not." She whispered back. "It's not like the world doesn't know about..."  
The rest of her sentence was cut off as Gohan lips found hers. As so often she felt herself melt into the kiss. Not just because of the oral contact but also because his arms encircled her, holding her close. This combination, the feeling of strength present in his arms, combined with the gentleness that ran through out his character was enough to make her weak in the knees. As always his tongue was gentle as it tentatively probed her mouth at first before she responded, almost trying to melt into each other in the way their souls seemed to be.  
  
Gohan barely registered the gasps coming from the audience as he kissed Videl. Though Sharpner shouting, "Go for it you two" did rather stand out. After a minute or two of their kiss he pulled back to allow Videl to breathe. That was the only real disadvantage of her not being Saiyan, she couldn't hold her breath for ten minutes the way he could.  
"Way to go Gohan." Krillin said smirking, while Trunks and Goten were making gagging noises.  
Gohan just grinned. "Now we have class again in a little while and I'd like to eat before then, so if you guys don't terribly mind I won't be showing you around the school right now."  
"That's okay Gohan." Goku said. "We need to be getting home as well, Chi-Chi was just cooking lunch when we saw you on TV."  
"Well I'm going too, maybe now that this is over they're going to continue the aerobics." Master Roshi said, beginning to leave, but then jumping back on the stage and facing the room. "Just one more thing, if there are any beautiful young ladies out there, I'm a handsome young man as you can see, I own my own island, and can you believe I'm still single. Replies can be sent to Roshi.TurtleHermit@kameisland.ki I look forward to hearing from you, please include picture if available."  
Gohan felt a stream of sweat running down his back, he couldn't believe the old man had done that.  
"Don't you need to get going now Master Roshi?" He said gently. "Or you might miss the rest of the Aerobics all together."  
The old man look shocked and then jumped of the stage and ran out of the building.  
"We have to go too Daddy." Marron said, pulling on Krillin's arm. "You promised we were going to the toy store."  
Gohan was surprised to see even the normally cool #18 smile at the antics of her husband and daughter.  
"We will sweetie." She said, picking up the little girl. "Let's go Krillin."  
Krillin nodded and turned to Gohan with a grin. "Have fun now." Before Gohan could reply, he'd jumped of the stage with his wife and daughter.  
"Well we have to go too." Bulma said, looking intently at Vegeta.  
"Why, can't we stay and watch the spawn of Kakarott some more?" Vegeta asked.  
"Because I have a GR to fix." Bulma replied with just a hint of a threat in her voice. "And I'm not going to have any time to fix it for a few weeks if I don't do it right now."  
"Oh, fine!" Vegeta said, clearly disappointed at not being able to make things difficult for Gohan.  
Bulma calmly walked out of the room, followed closely by a still fuming Vegeta.  
"Well we have to get going too." Goku said, turning to Goten and Trunks. "You boys are coming with us for the afternoon right."  
The kids nodded.  
"Alright then, grab hold."  
Both of them immediately grabbed his left hand as Chi-Chi took his right hand. Goku concentrate for a moment and then the group vanished, making it's way back to the Son house by means of instant transmission.  
"Well we'd better leave too." Yamcha said. "That is if you still want to spar Tien."  
"Of course. Let's go."  
Chaozu just nodded in agreement at Tien's statement and the three of them left as well, finally leaving only Orange Star High students and personnel in the assembly hall.  
An awkward silence fell after their departure. Now that everyone was gone and the 'press conference' was over the students didn't really know what to think.  
  
Finally Videl broke the silence.  
"Let's eat." She told Gohan who nodded happily.  
After jumping of the stage they were joined by Sharpner and Erasa on the way out.  
"Didn't know there was going to be sports." Sharpner said.  
"Sports?" Gohan questioned.  
"Yeah, hockey, tonsil-hockey to be precise."  
Videl couldn't help but laugh slightly as Gohan blushed, almost making him look even cuter than usual.  
The rest of the school day however brought little cause for laughter. Gohan and Videl tried to act as normal as was possible, and at least most of the asking questions had stopped now, but wherever they went whispers followed them.  
"At least we won't be here next week." Videl said during their last class of the day. "Anyone competing in a major sports event gets the week before off to train."  
"Good." Gohan said. "I don't think I can take this much longer, especially since I hear better than you do. Not as good as Piccolo perhaps but I can still follow almost every whispered conversation, and if I have to listen more discussions about whether we've had sex..." his hands formed a chokehold in mid air.  
"I know." Videl said. "I don't hear as much, but I can still pick up some things, some people whisper rather loudly."  
"Yeah, and we'll probably have to go through the same sort of thing after the tournament. I have a feeling it's going to turn out rather different than people might expect."  
Videl chuckled. "I think you're right. Most people expect either me or my dad to win. I even heard someone say you'd probably be beaten to a pulp if you had to fight my dad."  
Gohan nodded. "I heard it too, but they'll see, I just hope I get to fight him, it'll have to be the first round probably because most people entering will be stronger than him."  
  
/*  
  
Next time on Life Is Strange, The training is over and the World Martial Arts Tournament starts.   
  
Well I overshot my target by 2 days, but it's been an extremely busy week. I don't know when I will update again, hopefully it'll be within a week.  
  
A few questions, what do you think?  
Should Hercule remain a complete bastard, or should he become somewhat more likeable?  
What do you think of the idea of a Majin Hercule?  
Who do you think will win the tournament? (You won't be able to greatly influence me with that because I have the draw and results planned. Except for the matter of who will win, but it has been narrowed down to two candidates.)  
  
Please leave your opinions, both on the questions and on anything else in a review.  
  
*/ 


	14. Equality For Kids

/*  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ isn't mine, Gohan is, well in my dreams he is at any rate.  
  
Anything between /* and */ is just me budding in, so is anything after // up until the next hard return.  
For those of you that realised, I'm trying to learn to program in C++ as a hobby, that's the origin of the commentary codes.  
  
*/  
  
/*   
Questions, current standing just a few more points:  
You can vote for more than one person to win, though as I said your influence there is a bit limited.  
Reviews with to many nuances, though I will consider them during writing won't be shown here since it's hard to make a yes or no out of them.  
Conditional votes, such as Dragon Empress saying: "Only if you kill the bastard!" on question #2, will be counted separately in parentheses  
  
Should Hercule remain a complete bastard, or should he become somewhat more likeable?  
More likeable : IIIII  
Complete bastard: IIIIII  
  
What do you think of the idea of a Majin Hercule?  
Yes: III(I)  
No : IIIII  
Lol: II  
  
Who do you think will win the tournament? (You won't be able to greatly influence me with that because I have the draw and results planned. Except for the matter of who will win, but it has been narrowed down to two candidates.)  
Gohan : IIIIII  
Goku : II  
Vegeta: II  
Videl : (I)  
  
As you can see the vote is close on the first question especially. The polls are still open so keep the votes coming.  
/*   
  
Response to reviews:  
  
To Kodra:  
Well I guess you're right about a tendency with me and maybe some other authors to over-emphasize the nature of Hercule. You're right about him being a great fighter by most standards, that isn't my problem with him, my problem is that by most standards he's also a liar and a cheat, not to mention he insults Goku in one episode, as you can see the vote on more likeable or not is close so we'll have to wait and see what happens.  
PS. I forgot to put this here the first time I posted this chapter so I'm replacing the contents, while I thank you for the offer of the plot-development-suggestions, I'm trying to get to an end for this fic, it'll still take a number of chapters, considering that I already have rather a lot of plot development in mind so I'm afraid I'll have to decline.  
  
To No Name:  
Thanks for the compliment. I suppose whether I should ignore them or not depends on the type of criticism if it's constructive, which all my criticism so far has been I don't mind, it annoys me that I've done something that could have been done better but in the end the criticism makes me a better author, if anyone should decide to really flame this fic, I'll probably just laugh at them.  
  
To Johnny Rage:  
I take it the uneducated dork is a vote for complete bastard. Any particular reason why you misspelled uneducated? Or just a funny coincidence?  
  
To Lady Queen:  
Android #16 is the right one, the big one with the red hair and the green outfit. Shin did say that Gohan was the most powerful warrior there, and to my surprise when I watched the episodes Vegeta didn't contest it, even though it turns out that both he and Goku are stronger in the series, but this isn't the series, still we'll just have to wait and see. I'm already pretty sure what the final is going to be, but I'm still not sure who will win it.  
  
To Darkfire:  
Glad you enjoyed it, I was planning for it to be a bit shorter, my original target was about fifty thousand words, with this chapter added it's going to be over eighty five thousand, and still going. It'll probably be over twice the original intended size before it's finished. But anyway, I'm glad you took the five hours to read it and enjoyed it.  
  
To Ryan:  
Glad you got stuck at nearly this time and didn't actually die. Reviving you wasn't too much trouble, my special one-day-recharging-died-of-laughter-reviewer-reviving-dragon-balls only scatter throughout my room.  
  
To Saiyaman:  
Don't worry you didn't offend me with your last review, as I've said above in response to No Name, I don't mind constructive criticism, but it does make me angry at myself, I guess that showed in that last response. The whole thing is basically one of the less pleasant side effects of my perfectionism, I don't like to find out I made a mistake, but on the other hand I want to know so I can eventually get it out. The Gohan should come second idea is certainly original, and I must say I can understand the reasoning behind it, I don't know if it's going to happen though, as shown above there is a rather large majority for Gohan to win currently, though in the end it's the author's decision, anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.  
  
To saiyan-videl:  
Me understanding. Me keeping writing. Me going speaking normal now.  
  
To Everyone:  
Thanks a lot. I'm sorry this chapter didn't come sooner, but I've been rather busy.  
  
*/  
  
Life Is Strange  
  
Saga: The World Tournament   
  
Chapter 14 (or 14b for the superstitious): Equality For Kids  
  
Videl was rather anxious as she went over to the Son house for breakfast on the morning of the tournament. This would be the first time she'd see Gohan in three days. After the first week of school, which had started with the accidental press conference, they'd spend four days together. Four days during which Gohan had put nearly all his time into training her. But the last three days he'd gone of to train by himself. It had all been discussed before hand of course, but on this Saturday morning Videl couldn't deny that she'd missed him even more than she'd expected.  
Her heart skipped a beat as she entered the kitchen to see him sitting there at breakfast. He was wearing his normal blue Gi and eating like she'd never seen anyone eat before, even if she had been eating every meal with his family for a while now.  
Apparently he hadn't even noticed her coming in because he continued to eat for a few minutes before looking up because the table was empty.  
"Hi." She greeted as his eyes met hers.  
"Hi." He replied.  
"Are you hungry or something, I've never seen anyone eat like that, not even you guys."  
"Oh well, it sort of comes not eating for the last three days. Saiyans, though they hate it, can actually go without food for a long time before loosing strength, must be something in the warrior race heritage. So I didn't eat while training. All I did was meditate occasionally powering up to level two and even to level three during meditation."  
"I know, I felt the Ki-spikes. Everyone probably did."  
"I think so, along with dad's and Vegeta's. From what I've sensed Vegeta hasn't jumped to level 3 yet, but he's the type that would save if for the tournament if he's sure enough, so we'll have to wait and see."  
"So who do you think will win? I'd say either you or your dad."  
"Probably, if Vegeta is saving a first transformation to level three for the tournament he's in for a surprise. The first time you transform it's difficult to hold, it gets somewhat easier over time, but you can never hold it very long. I've managed to stretch it to about 20 minutes thanks to my meditations. But I'm all but dead if I go for that long."  
"I'm sure you could win." Videl felt all warm inside as she told him this.   
It was strange, just a few months ago she'd pictured herself as having a good chance of winning, but now, she was just hoping to be fortunate in the draw so she'd make it past the first round. Thanks to Gohan's help and her own training the last three days she'd improved a lot, but still she doubted she'd be any sort of match for the others.  
"How do you feel about it?" Gohan asked, seemingly guessing her thoughts.  
"I've resigned myself to not standing any sort of chance this time around." She replied. "Winning doesn't matter as much to me anymore, not at the moment anyway. All that matters is getting better. Then maybe one day I'll be in with something of a sporting chance. But right now I don't think any non-Saiyan has one of those."  
"Tien might have one considering the ring out rule." Gohan replied, thoughtfully. "He might just be able to get one of us out of the ring using the Tri-beam attack, but I'm afraid it would probably kill him to make a Tri-beam that strong."  
"What do you mean it would kill him?" Videl asked, starting to feel uncomfortable.  
"The Tri-beam is an incredibly strong attack, but it comes at a price. If you put to much of your energy into a Tri-beam you'll end up shooting out your entire life-force, killing yourself."  
"Yikes."  
"You can say that again."  
"That again."  
The both started to laugh at Videl's joke, breaking the tension.  
"So where are your mom and dad and Goten?" Videl asked.  
"Oh they left earlier, mom wanted to drive over to Capsule Corp. because she's bringing a lot of stuff so flying, or using the instant transmission wouldn't really work. I stayed to have some more breakfast and then take you there, we'll be flying of course."  
"Okay, I'll have some breakfast, if you left me anything to eat, and then we can go."  
  
About an hour and a half later the whole gang was at the Tournament Island. They'd met up at Capsule Corp. and then continued from there by jet so as not to cause to much of a scene in getting there.  
Videl groaned a little as they walked towards the registration desk. She recognised quite a few fighters from her father's school, and they all seemed to be busy showing off, trying to get the attention of the camera crews that were running around.  
"So it annoys you too." Gohan's voice interrupted her thoughts.  
"Yeah, it always has." She answered. "I fight because sometimes it's the right thing, and I fight to improve myself, because it's a skill. They fight to win, but not because they want to be the most skilled, it's only because they want the glory. Like my dad..." As her voice trailed of Gohan put his arm around her, comforting her. She was still coming to terms with the changes in her relationship with her father, and he seemed to be aware of it.  
"It'll be okay." He whispered as he pulled her close while walking.  
She nodded as they arrived at the registration desk. Goten and Trunks were outraged at having to fight in the junior competition, but seemed a little happier when Videl explained to them that this would give them a better chance at money to buy toys. Because the prises in the junior tournament were equal to those in the adult division.  
The rest of them registered, and the registration clerk was suitably impressed by a group consisting of two former champions (Goku and Tien), the reigning junior champion (Videl herself), a former loosing finalist (Piccolo), a famous baseball player (Yamcha), a two time semi-finalist (Krillin), the husband of the richest woman in the world (Vegeta) and last but not least the son of one of the former champions (Gohan) walking up together to register at the same time.  
"Why didn't you use an assumed name?" Videl asked Gohan as they headed for the qualification area.  
"I don't think it would work." Gohan replied. "Between my friends and family and Sharpner and Erasa who know I'm Sayaman, which would be the logical name to assume, someone would probably give me away. Besides I've already announced that I'll be competing on TV, so if I don't show the first thing they'll do is check into the background of any mysterious fighters."  
"Good point. Do you know how we have to qualify? I heard it would be different form the previous tournaments this year."  
"I'm not sure, but I did hear the word punch-machine." Gohan replied thoughtfully. "So probably something like punching strength. Pathetic way to test whether someone is a good fighter really, but I think that will be it."  
"I agree." Videl said. "It is a pathetic way to test a fighter. Sharpner would probably be able to punch pretty hard, but he can't get beyond some basic boxing moves as a fighter, and you need more technique than that to compete here."  
They walked on in silence for a moment, evading a few reporters before going through the gates to the athletes waiting area.  
  
Gohan and Videl were among the last of the athletes to arrive but they quickly made their way through the crowd to the front where their friends were assembled.   
"Hey Gohan!" Krillin called as soon as he spotted. "You and your fiancée sure took your time getting here, were you busy?"  
"We were talking Krillin." Gohan replied. "And you might want to safe your energy for the tournament rather than wasting it on teasing us."  
Krillin was about to respond when the announcer took hold of his mike, grabbing everyone's attention.  
"All right. Welcome all you fighters to the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament. Now this year rather than the usual start at the quarterfinals we have another round of fighting, which leaves room for 16 contestants. The defending champion mister Satan is automatically qualified leaving 15 spots for the others. To facilitate the increase of the number of matches in the tournament we've switched from the old-fashioned elimination competition to selection by punching strength. So in a few moments a punch machine will be brought out here."   
At this point he stopped talking to give a hand signal and a four man brought out the punch machine. It was a big metal contraption with a read cushion that had to be punched and a display above to read the score.   
// Same as in the series, just thought I'd put in a description cause it seemed logical.  
After they'd put it down the announcer continued.  
"Now to give us a score to go by, mister Satan will punch first as defending champion."  
The crowd erupted with cheers as mister Satan walked into the waiting area, holding the championship belt above his head. "Do any of you want this?!" The big goof ball /* guess who I'm talking about */ yelled.  
The crowd had quieted down after it's initial burst of noise and erupted in an even louder screaming frenzy after this.  
Gohan sighed as mister Satan made his way to the punch-machine, every step a carefully planned pose. He looked at Videl who was standing next to him and saw he look up at him almost pleadingly.  
He smiled at her reassuringly and concentrated. Piccolo had told him about a special adaptation of the laser-eyes technique to destroy cameras. He was aware the Piccolo himself was also about to the point where he'd use this technique, but decided not to wait for his Namekian friend and executed the technique himself instead, making all cameras in the waiting area explode.  
As he looked around there were many stunned faces, while Piccolo looked very proud and mister Satan looked downright disappointed at losing the opportunity to have even more publicity photos taken.  
A few seconds later mister Satan seemed to shrug of the disappointment as he prepared to hit the machine.  
"Satan Punch!" He yelled as he struck, making the display blink for a few second before it showed a score of 142.  
// He's been training a little harder than he was in the series, where he wasn't training at all. It'll become clear later.  
After the announcer had announced the 'incredible' score he and mister Satan left while the others were assigned numbers to determine the order in which they would punch.  
The Z-warriors were still all standing together so they wound up with numbers following each other. #18 was the first and appropriately ended up with 18, Krillin was 19, Piccolo 20, Yamcha 21, Tien 22, Gohan 23, Videl 24, Goku 25 and Vegeta 26.  
  
/* I'm switching my POV style for the time being. Up until here everything is either Gohan or Videl's point of view, but for now we'll switch to a universal point of view, which means we can get insights into everybody's thoughts first hand. */  
  
The first 17 punches weren't exactly exciting. One guy calling himself Mighty Mask managed to get a score of 105 and a huge man called Pintar managed to score 112. Then #18 stepped up to the machine.  
"Now remember hun, take it easy." Krillin warned his wife, though he had the feeling that her idea of easy wouldn't really correspond with anyone else's, safe perhaps Vegeta's.  
She just nodded as she prepared to lightly strike the red cushion. The display, blinked, Krillin blinked. The rest of the spectators blinked.  
"774." The surprised man next to the machine mumbled.  
"Do you call that easy?" Krillin asked, knowing what sort of answer he could expect.  
She just snorted and rolled her eyes. "It's not my fault they're weak."  
Krillin just sighed, it was a lost battle and he knew it.  
#18 punched again, holding herself back even further and this time she only scored 203.  
The rest of the Z-warriors now knew how much they had to hold back, so the rest of the punching test passed with little incident and in the end the scores were as follows:  
#18 - 203  
Krillin - 192  
Piccolo - 210  
Yamcha - 184  
Tien - 198  
Gohan - 208  
Videl - 175  
Goku - 186  
Vegeta - 250  
It had taken some doing to convince Vegeta not to punch at full strength, but a tactically placed question from Gohan, about what Bulma would say if Vegeta destroyed the machine had convinced him.  
Vegeta had winced at the thought of words like 'no GR, shopping' and last but not least 'cook your own food'. True, Bulma's cooking skills were not great, but his own were far worse and he knew it.  
  
While the others were busy with the qualification Goten and Trunks were getting ready for their fights in the junior division. Though there wasn't much to get ready for yet. They'd ended up on opposite sides of the draw, so their only challenging fight would be in the finals against each other.  
Trunks just sat waiting next to Goten until finally the adults Kis began to move, signalling that they were heading for the main arena to watch, which hopefully meant the fighting would start soon.  
  
After a number of fights that had been just as boring as Trunks had expected he and Goten finally faced off in the final match of the junior World Tournament.   
"Who would have thought it?" The announcer called out as the young demi-Saiyans entered the ring. "The two youngest competitors in this year's junior division have become our two finalists. They've shown great skill in their previous fights, giving us some amazing defeats to watch, and now they will face each other. At stake are the title, the honour and a grand prize of ten million zeni. So let the Junior World Martial Arts Tournament final begin!"  
The two boys dropped into their stands smiling at each other as they started to power up.  
In the crowd the Z-warriors were cheering loudly. The fights up to this point had been, in Krillin's words 'as much fun as watching wallpaper dry' so they were anxious to see a really good fight between the two strongest kids in the world.  
  
Trunks was just about to break through the barrier when suddenly Goten surprised him by attacking. The slightly older demi-Saiyan had been so focused on his transformation that he hadn't considered the option of an attack before transforming.   
In the crowd Goku and Gohan were cheering wildly for Goten. While Vegeta scowled even harder than usual, worrying about his son even if he would never admit it.  
Trunks transformed as he was still flying out of the ring, stopping himself in the air and floating back into the ring as Goten transformed as well.  
"Not bad Goten. I see you've been training hard."  
"You know that Trunks. We spar together remember."  
"Yeah, but you've been training outside of that as well to pick up tactics like that."  
"Just a little with my dad when he wasn't sparring with yours and some with Gohan when he wasn't working with Videl."  
"Well you've improved, but my dad's been helping me too."  
"This should be fun then."  
"Yeah, let's do it."  
Trunks landed and both boys briefly resumed their stance before rushing at each other, trading kick and punches in what became a blur of orange and black to the human eye.   
"Looks like their having a good warm up." Videl commented to Gohan as they watched. "Because from what I've seen them do before they can't really be trying all that hard."  
"They're not." Gohan replied, smiling as he watched his little brother, and Trunks, who sometimes seemed like another little brother, fight. "They're continuing their power up as they fight. They'll probably start to go up in a moment."  
It was almost as if Goten and Trunks had heard Gohan's words, because just as he said them they started to levitate slightly of the ground, each trying to get the advantage of being above the other so they could get in a good downward hit.  
  
The collective gasps of the crowd that met the boys' initial lift into the air were soon replaced by a shocked silence. Very few people had ever seen fighting like this. There had been fighting like this in previous tournaments, but it had more or less been forgotten when mister Satan won the 24th tournament and claimed that moves like this were just a trick.  
Now however they were starting to doubt that statement, the observation at the tournament was such that it should be impossible for them to be using any kind of device to fly, even if this was only the junior division.  
  
Trunks and Goten stopped their rise into the air after about thirty or forty feet, fighting at that level for a while, until they simultaneously managed to land a hit, sending them both back and down, landing in opposite corners of the ring.  
The crowd slowly came out of it's stupor and started cheering a little as the two boys rushed together again, drawing some more gasps from the crowd as once again they left the ground behind them in their fight. Furious blows and kicks that could have seriously damaged small mountains being dealt out dodged and blocked at an incredible speed.  
"Now this is more like it." Goku remarked to nobody in particular as the boys continued to trade kicks and punches with great speed.   
"Yeah." Gohan replied. "I think they're about to their maximum level."  
"It should prove to be an interesting fight. They seem virtually equal in strength."  
  
He has less of an advantage than he used to have. Goten thought to himself as his and Trunks constant motion of dodge and counter continued. I suppose it comes from me having both dad and Gohan to train with while he only has Vegeta. So that helped me get stronger faster.  
He's holding up better than I expected. Trunks thought at the same time. We're just about equal in strength now. I don't mind though, it makes this fight more of a challenge, and I like challenges.  
  
Finally after about a minute of intense airborne fighting Trunks managed to land a kick in Goten's stomach. Goten however countered with a classic Son tactic, ramming Trunks midsection with his head, knocking the wind out of the slightly taller boy, causing him to fall out of the sky.  
Trunks regained control in mid fall, but continued his descent, even accelerating a little to stay ahead of Goten, who was pursuing him.  
When Trunks reached the ground he pushed off with his hands, flipping over in the air, so that he was upright as he headed for the corner of the ring, where he turned and waited for Goten who was right behind him.  
Just as Goten was about to strike, Trunks shot up again, making the younger boy shoot on before he too shot up into the sky.  
Trunks last move had evened their position in the match again. Neither had the advantage of pursuit anymore and so yet again the boys faced of in another airborne exchange of punches and kicks.  
Trunks managed to get the upper hand again, with a punch to Goten's jaw, and this time he avoided the younger boy's counter attack. In stead he dealt a second blow that made Goten the one heading for the ground this time around.  
Again recovery started during the descent as Goten went into a spin and then went from heading down to heading forward at a steady level and then turning around to block Trunks' incoming fist.  
  
Another exchange along the standard pattern of kicks and punches ensued, during which the boys floated back and forth horizontally until they were above the centre of the ring where the exchange continued.  
Even now that the fight had been going on for a while most of the crowd was still wavering between admiring the boys and their fight and surprise at their seemingly impossible actions. Never the less it was becoming more vocal and a collective gasp sounded as both boys managed to land a punch at the same time, sending them back and down, where they landed at opposite sides of the ring after a controlled descent.   
"This is going great isn't it?" Goten called out, smiling as he dropped back into a stance and faced Trunks.  
"Yeah, but what do you say we switch to Ki-blasts for a while, make things more interesting."  
"Sure, you're on."  
They were about to prepare their first blasts when they were interrupted by the announcer.  
"Well folks this has been an amazing match so far, and it seems it's not even close to a finish yet. Ten minutes have passed without either of these young warriors gaining the upper hand. There are twenty more minutes left in the fight before we reach the time limit and if no conclusion has been reached by then it will go to the judges. With a fight this close I'm sure none of us would want to be in their shoes.  
Now you may be wondering at the amount of talk in this match. So I'll let you in on some information we've managed to get. These two little guys are friends in real life, and often train together by fighting in the woods, now they've moved their fight to the World-Tournament-ring, amazing!"  
The crowd cheered loudly, the casual comment seemingly alleviating their shock somewhat.  
As the cheering subsided, the two boys resumed the preparation of their blasts. Trunks released his blast first, a gallick gun that shot at Goten who barely dodged it. As it continued it's path towards the shocked again crowd Trunks concentrated and with a hand movement directed it upwards, so it avoided the audience and headed safely out of the atmosphere.  
Trunks didn't have long to stare after his blast as Goten shouted "Kamehameha!" and released his own attack only a few seconds later.  
Trunks managed to dodge as well and Goten too diverted his blast upwards, narrowly missing the roof the building next to the ring.  
An exchange of one handed basic Ki-blast followed before both boys started to power up special attacks again. This time making a showdown out of the Kamehameha and Gallick gun.  
The crowd gasped as the beams met with tremendous force, both Goten and Trunks were pouring as much energy as they could into the showdown and the resulting sight was incredible.  
A few minutes after the showdown had started the boys were still equal, neither had managed to overtake the other beam, and both were pushing their last effort into it. The effect was completely unexpected. Both for the two young demi-Saiyans themselves and for the audience as the force being put into the battle grew larger and suddenly knocked not one, but both boys backwards out of the ring and into the walls surrounding it.  
As Trunks and Goten got back up the stunned crowd slowly caught its breath again, before starting to cheer wildly at the best match anyone out there had ever seen. The announcer meanwhile walked over to the front row where the jury was seated. This situation was new, though the tournament had seen simultaneous knock outs before, there had never been a completely simultaneous ring-out such as this.  
Goten and Trunks just walked up to each other. Meeting in the centre of the ring to shake hands and wave at the audience.  
Finally a few minutes later the announcer walked into the ring and over to the two kids.  
"All right people listen up!" He yelled into the mike, waiting for the crowd to grow silent. "I've had a little chat with the judges about this, and frankly we're all at a loss. The first thought at a simultaneous ring-out was to do it by points, but that too is impossible since the fight was entirely even. So in an unprecedented move we've decided to finish this as a draw, with means the prise money for first and second place, totalling 15 million zeni will be split between the two boys, making prise money of 7.5 million zeni each." He paused for cheers from the crowd. The whole thing had been so close, that nobody could really say which boy had fought better.  
  
It took a moment for the audience to stop cheering, and a few moments more for Goten and Trunks to stop bouncing up and down in the ring.  
"All right now!" The announcer yelled as the joined winners finally calmed down, a little bit at least. "The prises for the junior division will be given out along with the adult division's so we'll take a little break now for the draw of the adult competition. Be sure to visit our refreshment stands in this interval if you want anything to eat or drink."  
  
"You know," Goku remarked up in the audience, "food sounds pretty good right about now."  
"Yeah." Gohan agreed, as even Vegeta let out an agreeing snort.  
"Well then we should head for the athletes resort." Videl said. "They have a free all you can eat restaurant, though I'm not sure if they have enough for three Saiyans, or five if Goten and Trunks join us."  
"Can they go there?" Gohan asked. "I thought the resort was for athletes only."  
"It is, but if they didn't change it from last time, it's also open to fighters from the junior competition, so I'm betting they'll be where the food is." Videl stated as the group started to walk to the resort area.  
  
Videl's prediction had been correct, Goten and Trunks were where to food was and so soon five Saiyans were eating while the other members of the company were feeling slightly nauseous from watching the Saiyans eat and decided not to.  
  
/* Contrary to the series where the athletes draw their own numbers the draw is made for them here. This was basically done to safe me from having to try to make something funny out of a totally pointless scene without copying from the series. */  
  
After the group had left the restaurant in the resort area, Goten and Trunks wandered around a bit while the others went to the athletes waiting area. Just a short while ago the two boys had been the ones waiting there, but now they would be banned to the audience.   
It's so unfair. Trunks thought to himself. We're stronger than most of the adults but we had to get stuck fighting wimpy little kids. The only fight that was any fun was when we fought each other, there has to be a way for us to get into the adult competition, there just has to be.  
He looked back up to the board that held the first round draw, scanning the matches.  
  
Krillin -Piccolo  
Mighty Mask-Pintar  
Videl-Killa  
Gohan-Mr. Satan  
Jewel-Shin  
Tien-Goku  
#18-Yamcha  
Kibito-Vegeta  
  
As he was looking at it lost in thought a masked fighter walked up. This outfit was absolutely hideous, with a white sort of dress like thing, and a dark grey mask and cape over it, finished of with horrible yellow gloves and boots. But it still gave Trunks an idea.  
"Excuse me," he said walking up to the man, while Goten watched him bewildered, "you're mister Mighty Mask right?"  
"Yeah that's me kid, you want an autograph or something?"  
"No thanks, that was all I needed." Trunks said, jumping up and punching the man between the eyes gently, knocking him out.  
"What did you do that for Trunks?" Goten asked innocently.  
"Well we're going to get into this costume together and then we get to fight the adults."  
"But it's ugly Trunks." Goten complained in a semi-whining voice.  
"I know Goten, but it's the only way for us to fight the adults. Don't tell me you're to chicken to fight them."  
"I'm not afraid of anything Trunks. Let's go."  
And so after the few moments it took the boys to get into the costume together, the new and improved Mighty Mask headed for the athletes' waiting area next to the ring.  
  
The other Z-fighters in the mean time were huddled together in a corner of the waiting room.   
"There's something strange about those two." Piccolo said in a whisper, referring to two of the other fighters assembled there, Shin and Kibito. "I'm not sure what it is, but there's definitely something odd about them."  
"I agree." Gohan said. "For one thing they don't look like they're human, or for that matter any other species from Earth, I think we may have to assume they're aliens."  
"I think so." Goku said, looking thoughtful, an expression that was not often seen on his face. "But what species, I don't remember seeing anyone like them in otherworld, or HFIL for that matter."  
Vegeta too looked puzzled. "If they are aliens, they're not from any area of space near here. During my time with Frieza I must have seen virtually every species from anywhere near here. At least any species capable of space travel."  
"Let's just keep her eyes open." Gohan stated. "Their energy is high and though I doubt they'd be a threat to us when we're charged up, even if they're hiding part of their Ki, they could hurt a lot of innocent people if those are their intentions. Though I somehow don't think they're out to hurt anyone."  
"I agree kid." Piccolo said, while nodding slowly. "They don't feel evil, almost the opposite, I don't know why but I have a feeling about them, it's almost familiar, but we'll have to wait and see."  
The group nodded and Goku was about to add something when the announcers voice coming from the ring interrupted them.  
  
/*  
Next time on Life is Strange, the adult competition finally starts. Who will win the competition? Will our heroes discover who Shin and Kibito are?  
  
Well it took me long enough but it's finally here. I said at the end of the last chapter I hoped to have this up within a week, but it's been two weeks and a day. I'm sorry for taking so long, but my studies took up a lot more time than anticipated. Anyway I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The polls are still open on the questions I asked last time, and for your benefit I will repeat them below, so please take the time to tell me what you think about them, or to just tell me something else, by leaving a review.  
  
Should Hercule remain a complete bastard, or should he become somewhat more likeable?  
  
What do you think of the idea of a Majin Hercule?  
  
Who do you think will win the tournament? (You won't be able to greatly influence me with that because I have the draw and results planned. Except for the matter of who will win, but it has been narrowed down to two candidates.) 


	15. First Round

/*  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ isn't mine, Gohan is, well in my dreams he is at any rate.  
  
Anything between /* and */ is just me budding in, so is anything after // up until the next hard return.  
For those of you that realised, I'm trying to learn to program in C++ as a hobby, that's the origin of the commentary codes.  
  
*/  
  
/*  
Note: I've decided to devide the fic into Sagas, so now you can see what Saga it's in at the beginning of each chapter, the Saga names have also been added to all previous chapters.  
*/  
  
/*   
  
Questions, current standing and just a few more points:  
You can vote for more than one person to win, though as I said your influence there is a bit limited.  
Reviews with to many nuances, though I will consider them during writing won't be shown here since it's hard to make a yes or no out of them.  
Conditional votes, such as Dragon Empress saying: "Only if you kill the bastard!" on question #2, will be counted separately in parentheses  
  
  
Should Hercule remain a complete bastard, or should he become somewhat more likeable?  
More likeable---: IIIIIIIII  
Complete bastard: IIIIIIIIIIIIIII  
  
What do you think of the idea of a Majin Hercule?  
Yes: IIIIIII(III)  
No-: IIIIIIIIIII  
Lol: IIIII  
  
Who do you think will win the tournament? (You won't be able to greatly influence me with that because I have the draw and results planned. Except for the matter of who will win, but it has been narrowed down to two candidates.)  
Gohan------: IIIIIIIIIIIII  
Goku-------: IIII  
Vegeta-----: IIII  
Mighty Mask: I  
Videl------: (II)  
  
  
As you can see the vote is close on the first question especially. The polls are still open so keep the votes coming.  
  
*/  
  
/*   
  
Response to reviews:  
  
To Saiyaman:  
As you probably know by now, I have read your story, and even left a review, something I don't do often as I suck at writing them. I'm still not sure if I'm going to do a Majin Hercule the polls are getting closer and I don't know if he will get killed if I do, he will suffer though, that's a certain part of the Majin Hercule package.  
  
To Keios Thiori:  
I didn't know about the two different dubs, but I already had a lot of downloaded episodes. Thanks for telling me though. I'm glad to have given you a nice (I hope) break from your physics revision and I did wish you luck when I got your review, as this would obviously be too late, the responses to reviews are the last thing I write, anyway I hope it all went well for you.  
  
To SSMysticGohan:  
I'm not planning on him reaching level 4 during the tournament, maybe during my version of the Buu Saga, which will be a lot more Gohan Videl centred, but maybe not.  
  
To olympus83 and Jer:  
I'm glad you liked the boys tying for the prise. It seemed better than the series to me.   
  
To dbzchick and stoked:  
I am planning on doing my own version of Buu, which will be more Gohan/Videl centred and hopefully better than the series because I've seen the Buu saga in the series, including the Japanese and I rather think it sucked, no offence intended to Akira Toriyama or anyone else involved with it.  
  
To Darkpower:  
Good point, I'm not really following the DBZ story line, though I'm trying to keep close to it in points. I will do my own version of Buu, but I'm not sure what's going to happen after that. I don't think I'll do GT, I haven't seen that yet, though I have seen everything up to the end of Z, watching the stuff that isn't available in English in fansub, and I don't think Z ends very believably, and that's the basis for GT so I think we van scrap that for this AU, I just doubt that Gohan and Videl would become so boring.  
  
To mika:  
Well I don't think this is really Gohan torture, not on the same scale as many other fics certainly, but I'm glad you like it.  
  
To Lady Queen:  
Quite possibly the shortest review you've ever left me. The next chapter is here now so that's that taken care of. The next time you don't have anything to put in there, why not try your little bro's e-mail addy. * Grins *  
  
To Jimbo Jones:  
  
I don't think I'll have Videl find a power like that, it for all its charm is not what I'm planning for this fic, at this point. However, I may be able to use it sometime in future, I'm not really sure yet what I want to do with this fic once I'm past the world tournament and my own version of Buu.  
  
To Everyone:  
Thanks for the reviews.  
  
*/  
  
Life Is Strange  
  
Saga: The World Tournament   
  
Chapter 15: First Round  
  
"Alright." The announcer called out, getting himself the attention of both the fighters and the audience. "The draw has been made and we've all had a bit of a break to go to the bathroom or get some refreshment, so we're all set to start the Adult Tournament." The crowd started to cheer and he had to wait a moment for things to quiet down again. "Now with out any further ado let's get the fighters for the first match out here. Piccolo and Krillin come out here please."  
Krillin and Piccolo walked out side by side and were greeted by mild, polite applause, not the kind that was reserved for the well-know fighters, but more the sort of, 'well we have to fill the time with this fight' applause.  
The announcer continued as they made their way into the ring. "Krillin is a true veteran in this tournament, the first time he entered was back in the 21st world tournament, where he made it all the way to the semi-finals where he was defeated by the eventual winner of that tournament the old master Jackie Chun. He made it to the quarter finals in both the 22nd and 23rd tournaments but for some reason didn't come out to compete in the 24th he's back now though and I'm sure we'll be seeing more of the fabulous fighting he's always displayed."  
The crowd cheered a little louder this time after hearing Krillin's fantastic record and the two fighters got ready for their 'friendly' battle as the announcer waited to give Piccolo's background information.  
"Piccolo only entered once before, in the 23rd world tournament. He made it all the way to the final though, and came in an impressive second in a closely run match that was so intense it destroyed the ring. I hope that won't happen again this year, because rebuilding the ring takes a lot of time, which is why there was an usually long break between the 23rd and 24th tournaments. And now let the fight begin."  
The crowd cheered a little more and Krillin and Piccolo both dropped into their stance before launching at each other. Krillin was the first to really take the offensive, though he knew he didn't really stand a chance against Piccolo, since he'd fused with Kami the Namek had become to strong for even a normal level 1 Super Saiyan to handle, though of course even Goten and Trunks could now get beyond that point, but without them in the tournament only Gohan, Goku and Vegeta could stop the mighty green warrior.  
But Krillin couldn't focus on that now, he was to caught up in the fight to really think about anything else. The only very slim chance he had was to put all of his effort into the first few minutes of the fight.  
His assault started all out, with him throwing a furious series of kicks and punches toward Piccolo who either dodged or blocked all of them.  
Piccolo then seized the offensive and pushed Krillin back with his kicks and punches. The short man could barely block and dodge them and was thankful for his size for once. It had earned him a lot of teasing over the years, but now it made him a smaller target a slightly faster than he would otherwise be.  
Gathering as much of his Ki as he could Krillin suddenly left the ground and flew at Piccolo, forcing the Namek back some. He himself immediately jumped back again, and began to prepare a Kamehameha wave, Piccolo apparently noticed his intensions because he started to power up a Ki-beam of his own.  
After he'd finished his power-up, Krillin released his Kamehameha with a loud yell as Piccolo did the same with his blast.  
The crowd gasped as once again two beams of light and energy met each other in the ring, Krillin's pushing Piccolo's back ever so slightly in the beginning. It didn't last however and within seconds Piccolo's attack started to overpower Krillin's Kamehameha, eventually cancelling it out completely and hitting the small human warrior, pushing him out of the ring.  
Krillin mentally sighed as the blast connected with his stomach. It wasn't meant to penetrate and didn't, it just pushed him back, into the wall of the arena.  
"And Krillin is out of the ring!" The announcer yelled. "But from the force of the impact I'd say Piccolo may have to be disqualified for excessive use of force and..."  
He was cut of as Krillin pushed himself out of the dent he'd made in the wall and brushed of his clothes. The audience was stunned as the short man made his way in to the ring and congratulated his opponent.  
"Well that settles that." The announcer yelled as the two fighters made their way back to the waiting area. "Apparently the force, though great was not excessive which means Piccolo becomes the first to advance to the quarter-finals, where he will face either Mighty-Mask or Pintar. So if those two would be so kind as to get out here we can start the second match."  
  
In the athletes waiting area Goten and Trunks enthusiastically jumped up together. Finally they would get to fight in the adult tournament.  
The huge fighter called Pintar also got up and followed his opponent who'd practically run there to the ring. He wasn't worried, after all he was a lot larger than Mighty Mask so he was bound to be stronger.  
"Both of these fighters are second time competitors." The announcer told the crowd. "Pintar did better than Mighty Mask in the last tournament, but who will win today?"  
Pintar just grinned at Mighty Mask before going into an imposing routine of flipovers.  
"Is this guy for real?" Goten asked Trunks inside the Mighty Mask suit.  
"I suppose so." Trunks replied. "We'll have to put him out of his misery, than we can fight Mr. Piccolo in the next round, that should be fun."  
"Okay, Trunks." Goten jumped and the two boys flew at Pintar together.  
Trunks just lightly punched and the large man was sent out of the ring.  
"That was easy." Trunks said and he felt Goten's head nod beneath him.  
  
"Well that was certainly a quick fight," the announcer said, "Mighty Mask has clearly been training. So now we know who's going to face Piccolo in the quarterfinals. But we still need to find out who's going to be in the second quarter-final and first match that will help us determine that is Videl versus Killa."  
The crowd started cheering wildly the instant Videl's name was mentioned and continued to cheer as Mighty Mask and Pintar left the ring and Videl and Killa entered it.  
"Now neither one of these fighters really needs an introduction but in the tradition of the tournament we'll give you one anyway." The announcer yelled as the crowd quieted down some. "Videl of course is the daughter of mister Satan, our ruling champion, last time here she won the junior championship and since then she's been helping the Satan City police force. Now she's back here at the tournament, this time as on of the fifteen fighters to make it through the elimination to challenge her father. * Cheers from the audience * Her opponent Killa also competed in the last tournament, though he of course fought in the adult competition and not in the junior contest like Videl. Now let the fight begin."  
Videl sighed, she'd have this one fight, and then it would be over, Gohan would win the next fight, to face her in the quarter-final, and if her dad by some sort of miracle would have gained the power to beat Gohan, something she knew to be impossible, she wouldn't stand a chance against him because she had no chance against Gohan, even when the demi-Saiyan was having a bad day.  
It seemed like her destiny, at least for the time being, to have only two possible types of fight in this tournament. First the type of fight she was facing now, where he opponent couldn't be considered a warm up, let alone a sparring partner, and certainly not a challenge. And second the type of fight she would be having with Gohan in the next round, in fight in which she would barely serve as a warm-up for her opponent. Even if she'd had to face Yamcha she wouldn't have been able to keep up, though he seemed to be the least powerful of the participating Z-fighters from what she could feel of his Ki.  
She got into her stance and waited for Killa to attack, no need to rush the fight, the audience was getting precious little entertainment for its money anyway in a fight like this.  
Killa didn't wait long before he charged at her, trying to hit her with a punch to the face. Videl just brought up her hand to intercept his fist, got a good grip on it and used that to lightly toss him over her shoulder and out of the ring.  
The crowd fell silent at first, the ease of her victory apparently astounding the gathered fans, before it erupted in cheers that were louder than ever. Videl just shrugged, it wasn't really a victory, this guy was to weak to pose any sort of challenge whatsoever.  
  
"You did great Videl." Gohan told his fiancée as she came back into the fighters waiting area.  
"It wasn't going to be a challenge." She stated, she was feeling a little put out and they both knew it.  
"I know, but there was a challenge in this match, even if it wasn't to beat the enemy. The challenge was not to beat him too badly, you tossed him out of the ring, I know for a fact you could throw him clear out of the stadium, with some luck even into low orbit."  
Videl couldn't help but giggle a little her mood lightening drastically after Gohan's remark, which combined with a mental image of Killa shooting up and seeing his own reflection in a nearby satellite. "I suppose that is a challenge in itself, you'll have an even bigger challenge if you look at it like that."  
"Don't worry I'm used to having to control my strength, I won't hurt your father too badly."  
"That's okay, but make sure you do defeat him clearly enough, I don't want people saying he let you win. And if they do say it I don't want anyone believing them."  
Gohan nodded and Videl got onto her toes to give him a kiss before he had to head out to the ring.  
"Well this looks like it's going to be a great fight." The announcer yelled. "We have a newcomer here, Son Gohan, Gohan is the oldest son of Son Goku the winner of the twenty third World Tournament. His mother Chi-Chi also fought in that tournament and his parents actually faced each other in the quarterfinals. Recently the world found out that Gohan is engaged with Videl Satan, if he wins this fight he will face here in the quarterfinals, a repetition of his parents history. The man he has to get past however is none other than mister Satan, the defending champion. Mr. Satan has often said in the past that he will not let Videl marry anyone that has not beaten him and as yet these two have not fought each other, so there is more at stake here than just a place in the quarterfinals. Now let the fight begin."  
  
Gohan didn't even drop into his stance, he just stood there with his arms by his sides as Hercule prepared to go on the attack.  
"Why aren't you getting ready kid?" The 'champ' yelled. "You figured out that fighting me is impossible already?"  
"Hardly." Gohan stated, loud enough for everyone to hear but without shouting like mister Satan had. "I'm ready whenever you are."  
"I doubt it kid, I've been training again, your tricks won't work on me." Hercule said, now lowering his voice so only Gohan could hear.  
Actually it was only Gohan and Piccolo, who thanks to his Namekian hearing could follow everything said in the ring, even if it had been whispered. Piccolo of course promptly told the other Z-fighters what Hercule had said, which had all off them, including Videl, rolling on the floor howling with laughter. Except for Vegeta and Piccolo himself, who though they were laughing managed to remain standing.  
Mr. Satan was blissfully unaware of this as he laughed and made the victory sign with both hands. Gohan however just gave him a glare that would have made Vegeta proud, and at present made mister Satan just a little nervous. He'd been training again for the first time in years, his daughter was at stake, and his image along with her, but this kid seemed unaffected by that message.   
Hmm, I'll show him. He thought to himself. He may have been a little stronger than me when he fought Cell, but even then the difference was minimal, after all I did make that fantastic jump. So now with my extra training all I have to do is ignore his stupid light tricks and I will win.  
He thrust his hands back up in the air giving the double V-sign again before dropping back into his stance and going on the offensive.  
Gohan just stood where he was standing without moving so much as a muscle as Hercule started his offensive, much like Cell had just taken the meaningless hits of this self-proclaimed super-fighter some seven years before.  
After a few minutes of this Gohan raised on finger, using it to block Hercule's right fist as it was headed for his face.  
"I hate to interrupt you." Gohan said, falsely polite. "But this is getting boring, either hit me in a way that I can actually feel, or try something new. If you like neither of those options I'll go on the offensive if you like."  
Hercule just looked at him, the look meant to say 'who do you think you're fooling you punk' but he just couldn't pull it off.  
Instead of adding a vocal reply to the look he continued his offensive with another punch packing all of his power, however this too was stopped with just a finger.  
"Well I guess it's my turn." Gohan said simply. In some corner of his mind he was aware of the surprised audience, but at this point he really didn't care. The real battle wasn't taking place in the ring, and none in the audience could see it. The only ones that might be aware of it were the other Z-fighters in the athletes waiting area. Gohan was fighting himself, his Saiyan pride combined with a lot of irritation that had build up over the years because of the way mister Satan behaved and talked about things like the Cell-games, the endless lies, the insults, the claim that it was all a big trick. That was the true enemy, the one that made it very difficult for him to stay focused on how he wanted to win, a knock out, no 'oops I must have slipped' ring out, no 'well I couldn't beat up my daughters fiancée surrender', a simply and complete loss without giving in to his baser instincts and getting disqualified for killing his opponent.  
  
Gohan went about the rest of the fight with a strange sort of single mindedness, somewhere, at the edges of his consciousness he was aware of the surprised reactions from the crowd, and the announcer talking about miracles, but it didn't matter, all that mattered now was doing what he'd come to do, nothing less and especially nothing more.  
He went about effecting Mr. Satan's fall from grace very unceremoniously. Keeping his Ki all the way down so as not to hurt his opponent to badly he countered the two stopped punches with a light punch of his own, which made Hercule stagger back a few paces.  
Gohan didn't wait to hear the announcer report this latest surprise development to the audience, nor did he wait to hear said audiences shrieks of surprise, he just continued the attack. He sent in a few punches and kicks that weren't meant to connect and only served the purpose of driving Mr. Satan back a bit. The he went for a quick kick to his opponent's chest that sent the big goof flying out of the ring.  
Well at least it's over. Mr. Satan thought, as he saw the edge of the ring come closer during his flight. I'll just claim I slipped on something. That'll be perfect it would make me look * thud * like I could have won.  
Unfortunately for Mr. Satan's plan the thud was Gohan appearing seemingly out of nowhere and stopping him before he left the ring. The young demi-Saiyan had no intension of scoring a ring-out like this, and made that clear by holding out a hand that stopped Mr. Satan by the forehead.  
Almost casually he then kicked the older fighter again sending him flying a little ways in the other direction where he landed near the centre of the ring.  
  
As Hercule struggled to his feet again he realised that his thoughts at the beginning of the match had been sorely mistaken. He still wasn't sure about the light tricks but somehow this boy was a lot stronger than he looked and even a lot stronger than him, Hercule Satan.  
He tried to get away as Gohan approached again, but the younger man was just to quick for him, appearing in front of him as he tried to make it to the edge of the ring.  
Gohan looked at Hercule as he appeared in front of the now clearly fleeing man. Now was as good a time as any to end this and he didn't know how long he could stay in control of his more violent tendencies. He raised his hand with the palm stretched out and did a simple neck-chop, a relatively painless way to make sure someone wouldn't have trouble sleeping for the next half hour or so.  
The crowd's gasps of surprise came through a bit louder this time as Gohan nudged the unconscious Hercule with his foot and motioned for the announcer to start the count.  
Silence fell over the stadium as the announcer counted: "One... Two... Three... Four... Five... Six... Seven... Eight... Nine... Ten... Son Gohan wins by a knockout."  
The crowd cheered for a bit, but it was a rather half-hearted sort of cheering that quickly turned into muttering, nobody had expected Mr. Satan to lose, in fact most of the audience had expected him to win the whole thing again without any opposition.  
  
Up in the audience, two people were a little less shocked than most by this surprise development.  
"Wow." Sharpner exclaimed turning to his wife. "I knew Gohan was good, but this good."  
"Yeah, it's surprising." Erasa replied, looking oddly thoughtful. "Though we did never see Mr. Satan do any of the stuff we know Gohan can do."  
"True but he said those were just tricks. And they have to be right, except maybe the flying thing."  
"All of a sudden I'm not so sure anymore, but then what about Cell?"  
"I don't know, this is all so confusing."  
"Yeah, Gohan and Videl are the brains of our little group, we can't do this on our own."  
  
In the end it took the audience five minutes to go through the stages of shocked silence, confused muttering, absolute confusion and finally acceptance. When those had finally been completed the announcer stepped in again. "Well ladies and gentlemen, that was a rather unexpected result for most of us, but if anything it is a demonstration of the awesome field of contestants we have this year. Another prime example of that is coming up in this match. Where we have Jewel the runner up of the last tournament, facing Shin, a first time contender who got a very impressive score on the punch machine in spite of his light build. From the looks of him Shin will be both fast and powerful, and we know for a fact Jewel has the necessary speed and strength to do good in this tournament. So please welcome Jewel and Shin."  
The crowd applauded, but a little half hearted as most of them were still rather stunned by the previous fight even if they were slowly coming to terms with it.  
  
Backstage the Z-warriors once again crowded together in the space where they could watch the fight. They'd all been standing there to watch Gohan fight Mr. Satan and now they were anxious to see the first of the two mystery man compete. How strong would he be? He certainly had high Ki, but he was probably even repressing some of it so maybe he wouldn't have to show his full strength in this battle, given the Ki they could sense that was actually rather likely.  
And so they watched as the self-proclaimed blond-babe and the mysterious purple man made their way to the ring.  
  
They will know soon enough. Shin thought, as he sensed the eyes of the Z-fighters on his back. And so will I, was I right when I thought that some of them must be stronger than me? Or is Kibito right, am I just over-estimating the mortal worlds ability to solve it's own problems, either way this tournament will let me know.  
Jewel mean while was very puzzled by his opponent, normally he wouldn't have expected any trouble from anyone but Mr. Satan, he'd made it to the last round of the previous tournament with relative ease. But now he'd suddenly seen Mr. Satan go down while the other guy looked like he hadn't even put any effort into the fight, and then there was this Shin, he'd never seen anything quite like this purple man.  
When both fighters were in position in the ring the announcer gave the signal for them to start and Jewel went on the offensive. He rushed towards his opponent, but his punches and kicks were all blocked and he could tell that Shin wasn't even trying.  
Just as Jewel was starting to panic the purple man simply held up his hand with the palm opened to the blond fighter and somehow send a large gust of wind at him, blowing him clear out of the ring.  
  
"Well that was a quick fight." The announcer stated as Shin made his way back to the other athletes and Jewel was taking to the infirmary with a sprained ankle. "So let's move on to the next match. And I must say if I spoke about a prime example of the awesome field we have this year in the previous match, I'm forced to repeat myself now because with mister Satan out of the competition this one may just decide the whole tournament. Tien is the first fighter in this match and this is his third appearance at the World Tournament, he managed to claim the title in the 22nd Tournament but lost it in the 23rd. He didn't appear in the 24th Tournament but he's back today and willing to give it another shot."   
There were cheers from the crowd as Tien made his way into the ring.  
"Now," the announcer continued, "there was of course a reason why I said this may well decide the tournament and it's not limited to one fighter, because Tien's opponent is another veteran and if I may say so a living legend, he entered three times before, getting to the final in the 21st tournament at the tender age of twelve. He lost that final to the old master Jackie Chun but came back the next time and made it to the finals again, where he lost to his opponent in this match, Tien, he finally managed to win the third time he made it to the finals, at the 23rd tournament. Like Tien he wasn't at the 24th but now he's come to try to reclaim his title, here is the one and only Son Goku!"  
The crowd cheered wildly, Goku's name had already been well known and now that everyone had had a refresher course on his accomplishments he'd become the instant favourite after the fall of mister Satan.  
  
"So," Tien asked Goku as the crowd fell silent, "think you can beat me without going super?"  
"I reckon so." Goku stated. "Unless you were to put dangerous amounts of energy in a tri-beam to try for ring-out, but that would be way to dangerous somewhere this crowded."  
"You're right of course, and I really must admit I don't think I have a good chance, but you never know how a fight is going to turn out until you've fought it."  
Goku nodded and the two sped towards each other, starting the fight with an exchange of kicks and punches that nobody in the crowd could see. Except of course the other Z-fighters who were watching backstage.  
"Tien is really doing great." Yamcha remarked. "He must have been really working out."  
"Tien works out for a living." Krillin replied. "It's his job to be as strong as he can since he's Chaozu's bodyguard."  
"He's no match for Goku though." Piccolo added. "Goku isn't even using half the power he has in his normal form and he isn't using the Kaioken either, I don't think he'll have to transform for this battle."  
"Stop being so modest." Yamcha said, sounding almost as if he were accusing the Namek. "We all know you're the only one that can force any of the Saiyans to transform except for the other Saiyans."  
Piccolo just smirked a little and gave a barely visible nod as everyone's attention returned to the fighting in the ring.  
Goku was powering up some more, apparently having had enough of the warm up stage of the fight and Tien was now at full power where he'd been a bit below full earlier.  
They both landed in the ring to stare at each other for a second before rushing into the final stage of their battle, Goku quickly overpowered Tien with a series of kick and punches that finally forced the three-eyed man out of the ring. He was of course still floating and shot up in a last attempt to avoid a ring out, but Goku quickly shot up as well and after a short airborne fight managed to knock his friend to the ground where he hit leaving a bit of an impact crater.  
"And that does it folks." The announcer yelled. "Once we've confirmed that Tien is in fact still alive Son Goku will advance and..." At this point Tien got back up and calmly walked over to the man.  
"Don't worry, he knows it'd take a lot more to kill me." The three-eyed fighter stated before leaving the stadium as wild applause sounded.  
Goku in the meantime had floated down and also headed back over to the others.  
  
"Well let's move onto the next match shall we." The announcer told the crowd. "And it looks like another spectacle. The first fighter in this match is one of only two female fighters to make it to this stage of the tournament. We don't know whether the name she gave is real, or just and alias, but we know her only as #18. The other contestant in this fight is another of our veterans though there are few people left who know of his background as a martial artist, most of you however will know him from his other sports career, I'm talking about Baseball's very own, Yamcha!" The crowd cheered as the two fighters emerged and the announcer had to wait a while before he could continue. "Yamcha is one of a group of fighters here today who for some reason didn't enter in the 24th tournament while they did fight in one or more tournaments before that. How or why they missed that tournament we don't know, nor do we know why they are here today but as we have seen so far, they are fighting spectacularly, and I'm sure this fight will be no different."  
  
Yamcha and #18 who had by now made their way into the ring took that as the starting sign and started their fight, though it wasn't destined to last a long time. #18 though she had left her evil ways behind still had a certain predisposition towards efficiency and made short work of the human fighter. She couldn't sense Ki but she didn't have to, everybody knew the Saiyans and Piccolo were her only competition, they could defeat her, and she could defeat the others, that was her place in the order of things and as they both knew it, why bother prolonging this to make it into more of a fight than it could ever be?  
Her strategy was simple yet effective, block Yamcha's initial attacks, distract with a punch, a kick to the stomach to send him flying and watch him hit the wall, a quick and relatively painless ring-out.  
  
"Well would you look at that folks." The announcer yelled. "Not only is #18 rather attractive, she's also a good fighter. In fact this is quite spectacular, there were no women in the adult division of the 24th Tournament but they seem to be back with a vengeance, both of our female fighters have made it past the first round and into the quarterfinals. Videl will of course be facing her fiancée, Son Gohan there, in what will probably be their first official domestic dispute, while #18 will be facing the winner of the next match. And that next match is a bit of an unknown. It is the only match in this tournament with two complete newcomers. Kibito is the silent type like his friend Shin, in fact we don't even know for sure whether or not they are friends, but they seem to be spending all their time close together and have only talked to each other. The only time they've spoken to others was when there was no way around it. So from Shin's impressive performance earlier I'd say we have something to look forward too with Kibito fighting. His opponent is almost as much as an unknown. Sources tell us that he is married to Bulma Brief, owner of Capsule Corporation, but they can't tell us much else, he did get the highest score on the punch machine though so there is a good chance he'll do well here."  
  
Vegeta and Kibito had made their way to the ring during the introduction and dropped into their stance as the announcer finished.  
Now we'll get to see if there is any truth in the legends. Kibito thought. I've told Shin he had too much faith in the mortals but I hope I'm wrong. Both he and I know we don't stand a chance ourselves. But can their legend and ours combine as he thinks they will.  
Vegeta too took some time to think about his opponent. He was the first of the Z-fighters to face one of these two strangers. The first to see how much power they really had, though to him Kibito seemed like he was the weaker of the two.  
Ah well. The might prince of Saiyans thought to himself. At least it should be a decent warm up for my match with the android later, but I doubt I'll have to go Super, he doesn't seem quite that strong too me. Shin seems to be the one hiding his power.  
Just to be on the safe side Vegeta powered up until he was just a little beneath the Super-Saiyan barrier as he prepared to charge the large reddish warrior.  
As their exchange of blows started Vegeta quickly judged his opponents strength. They were almost equal in strength, he himself was only slightly stronger in his normal form when he was completely powered up as he was now.  
"Kibito seems to be pretty tough." Gohan commented as he watched with the others. "He won't be able to beat Vegeta, but it's close now that Vegeta is in his normal form."  
Goku nodded. "He is, Kibito is giving everything he's got now and Vegeta is as well, at least for his normal form, it's a matter of time before Vegeta overpowers him. But from what I can tell Shin is the stronger of the two, so I'll have to see what he can do when I fight him in the next round."  
Gohan nodded in turn and ended the exchange just as Vegeta managed to end the match by scoring a ring-out.  
"Well folks there you have it!" The announcer yelled as the two fighters made their way backstage. "The first round is over and the quarter finals await. In those quarterfinals we'll start with Piccolo against Mighty Mask. Followed by a very special match, Son Gohan against Videl Satan. Next we'll have the mysterious Shin against former champion Son Goku. And finally #18 will face Vegeta. We'll just take about fifteen minutes break for the fighters to get ready before we start with the next round of this exciting World Tournament!"  
  
/*  
Next time on life is strange the quarter finals start and the speculation continues. Who exactly are Shin and Kibito? Why are they here, and what are they so worried about. We may know it, but the Z-fighters don't.  
  
This is the very last thing I'm adding to this document, I've already put the questions below but I felt I had to add this. For those of you who didn't know (anymore) I'm Dutch and as many of you may know by now, a major political figure over here, Pim Fortuyn, has just been shot and killed. And while I didn't agree with the man, he was rightwing I'm definitely leftwing, it is a bit of a shock, and I don't know when it'll wear of. Or how it will influence me until it does. This may mean that I won't update in a while this sort of shock tends to occupy the mind. Fortunately I'd already finished this chapter when it happened, but as for the next I just don't know at this point. As the very last thing I add to this I'd like to offer my condolences to his friends and family.  
  
And now to our questions:  
  
Should Hercule remain a complete bastard, or should he become somewhat more likeable?  
  
What do you think of the idea of a Majin Hercule?  
  
Who do you think will win the tournament? (I think this may be your last opportunity to vote on this, the final isn't too far away.)  
  
New questions:  
  
How do you like the new Saga-list summary, is it better than the old ones?   
Just to repeat the summary:   
"Ch. 15 is up. Sagas in this fic so far: Strange - Sayaman my way, Truth - Videl's discoveries, The heir of the Cold-empire (it's not Kooler), The World Tournament - my way (in progress)."  
  
*/ 


	16. Quarter-Finals

/*  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ isn't mine, Gohan is, well in my dreams he is at any rate.  
  
Anything between /* and */ is just me budding in, so is anything after // up until the next hard return.  
For those of you that realised, I'm trying to learn to program in C++ as a hobby, that's the origin of the commentary codes.  
  
*/  
  
/*  
  
Questions, current standing and just a few more points:  
You can vote for more than one person to win, though as I said your influence there is a bit limited.  
Reviews with to many nuances, though I will consider them during writing won't be shown here since it's hard to make a yes or no out of them.  
Conditional votes, such as Dragon Empress saying: "Only if you kill the bastard!" on question #2, will be counted separately in parentheses  
  
  
Also I've decided to close the polls. As I'm getting to the point where I'm going to actually write most of these developments (or lack thereoff).  
  
Should Hercule remain a complete bastard, or should he become somewhat more likeable?  
More likeable---: IIIIIIIIIIIII  
Complete bastard: IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII  
  
What do you think of the idea of a Majin Hercule?  
Yes: IIIIIIIIII(IIIII)  
No-: IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII  
Lol: IIIII  
  
Who do you think will win the tournament? (You won't be able to greatly influence me with that because I have the draw and results planned. Except for the matter of who will win, but it has been narrowed down to two candidates.)  
Gohan------: IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII  
Goku-------: IIIIIIII  
Vegeta-----: IIII  
Mighty Mask: I  
Videl------: (III)  
  
Nobody-----: (I)  
  
*/  
  
/*   
  
Response to reviews:  
  
To vsd2oc:  
I think the closest you got to Dutch was Danish, but I'm not exactly sure, I don't really speak Danish, though I seem to remember from being there a while ago that Jeg = I. Anyway I'll give you full marks for effort.  
If all went well you should have received an e-mail about his update.  
  
To Lady Queen:  
Aw, no fair. I let you know about pteska. And since I did some checking on your profile I discovered I have so much to teach. I'm 19, you're 15 according to your profile so that makes you little bro under 15, he still needs to learn the classics, like "Make a funny face. ... But that's what you always look like."  
I hope you're managing with your computer exhile. * shudders at the thought of such a cruel and inhumane punishment *  
  
To ~*Crystal Lily*~:  
I think Akira Toriyama thinks like you. When you say, 'I like Gohan and all, but I guess I like Goku more.' I think this was his reasoning when he basically decided to overdo the nerdyness in Gohan and to weaken him by making him stop training. The focus of the series had to remain on, and the power had to remain with, Goku (and to an extend Vegeta). That's probably also why Goten and Trunks stopped really seriously training at some point.  
Anyway that's just something I've wanted to say for a while now and you gave me the perfect excuse, hope you don't mind me using your review like this, and I seriously appreciate you leaving me one. In the end we can't all have Gohan as our favorite character.  
  
To Everyone:  
Thanks, sorry I kept you waiting so long, but here it is.  
  
*/  
  
Life Is Strange  
  
Chapter 16: Quarter-Finals  
  
"What do you think now?" Shin asked his assistant, as they walked away from the other fighters.  
"He is strong, but not as strong as you by a long shot." Kibito replied.  
"Don't judge so quickly Kibito." Shin said. "You're assuming that he has fought you at his full power. I'm not sure if that is true."  
"But my lord, with all due respect, I know there is a chance of Super-Saiyans actually existing as well as you do, but don't you think he would have shown such a power if he indeed possessed it."  
"No Kibito. Due to all the trouble in the south quadrant we've watched this area of the galaxy far to little in recent years. I was barely aware that any Saiyans had survived the destruction of their home world. And a Saiyan would not show his power, not unless he had to. Contrary to popular belief honour is important to them, as is the challenge any opponent poses."  
"Still I doubt their power could rival yours."  
"We shall see, my friend, we shall see."  
  
The Z-fighters on the other hand had little to talk about. Everything was as expected so far. They would have to start discussing things again after Shin fought Goku, because then they would know how strong he was and hopefully they'd be able to figure out who he was as well.  
The only other thing that was briefly discussed was Mighty Mask and his rather high power, but Piccolo would get a chance to see if he posed any threat right away so they weren't too worried about it.  
  
After fifteen minutes the wait was finally over and Piccolo and Mighty Mask were called to the ring. There was a lot of applause this time, but no introductions, they weren't needed, they'd already been given with the first round battles.  
Piccolo looked at Mighty Mask in amazement, the fighter somehow seemed to have very poor overall coordination but he'd still managed to ring-out his opponent in the first round without any kind of trouble.  
There's something strange about him. The mighty Namek thought. He seems to have a lot of power, but he's so clumsy he even makes that fool Satan look skilled.  
The fight started and Piccolo started by blocking the incoming kicks and punches. They held a lot of power, but nothing he couldn't handle, still at this level this Mighty Mask character seemed to have surpassed the Human Z-fighters, something the Namek thought more than a little odd.  
Suddenly Piccolo's sensitive hearing picked up a voice from Mighty Mask's mid-section.  
"Come on Trunks, can't you land a punch?"  
A smile tried to form on the tough green man's lips but he held it back. He never smiled after all, only sometimes around Gohan. But in the end he was a warrior, with no time for such trivial matters as humour or joy.  
His own actions belied these thoughts however as he couldn't bring himself to just simply tear off the kids' costume to expose their deception.  
Instead he focused himself for the materialisation technique, concentrating and then suddenly shooting it out as his double opponent halted for a moment.  
The instant it hit, the Mighty Mask costume disappeared and two smaller forms became visible. One was sitting on the other's shoulders and they were dressed identically, in little Mighty Mask costumes.  
  
  
// I'd like to thank my sister Pteska for the idea of having two 'mini Mighty Masks'.  
"Oh no, what do we do now?" Goten asked as Trunks got of his shoulders.  
"I say we keep fighting." Trunks said, as he floated down slightly to hover next to his friend. "We can take him together."  
They raised their fists to attack, but just as the two kids were about to rush forward the announcer realised what was going on and let out a yell.  
"You two can't fight together. You're disqualified."  
"Oh shit!" Trunks yelled. "Let's get out of here."  
Goten nodded and the two demi-Saiyan masters of mischief flew off as fast as they could.  
"So." The announcer yelled. "Mighty Mask is disqualified for being two people, presumably not of age either, which means Piccolo wins by default and we can move on to our next match, which is the strangest thing we've seen in years. Gohan versus Videl, a young couple engaged to be married fighting each other for a spot in the semi-finals.  
Gohan of course is our current unofficial champion due to his defeat of mister Satan, but we all know what Videl can do, so let's give them a big hand as they start this fight."  
Applause followed as Gohan and Videl entered the ring.  
"You ready?" Gohan asked.  
"Not to handle you, but let's fight anyway."  
"All right, don't worry I have no intention of seriously harming my bride to be."  
"That's a relief. Though I doubt you'd have waited 'till now if you did have those intentions."  
"True."  
Videl launched into action at this point, throwing kicks and punches as fast as she could even though she knew it didn't matter. Gohan just blocked, as he did so often when they were sparring and kept smiling at her.  
"Has anyone ever told you're damn sexy when you smile like that during a fight?" She asked.  
"I don't think you've put it quite like that, before." Gohan replied, continuing to block with one arm as the other scratched the back of his head. "But I think you've said something like it before, as I recall you succeeded in catching me off guard directly after that during that spar."  
"Damn!" Videl exclaimed. "I knew I should have saved that trick for now."  
"Well it's your own fault."  
"It is."  
She continued punching and kicking and then watched as Gohan switched from blocking to a dodge, jumping high an then flipping over backwards, to let his finger-tips touch the floor of the ring and then flip backwards again to land on his feet. The most amazing thing was the way his finger tips touched though, as always Videl found herself impressed by his grace, it was as if he didn't really land on his hands or finger tips at all, they just seemed to brush the ring floor lightly for a fraction of a second.  
After landing again Gohan went on the offensive, limiting himself to Videl's level. He didn't want to hurt her after all and the audience deserved to see some good fighting as well. As the two of them met in a close range flurry of kicks and punches levitation seemed to start almost automatically. It usually did when two fighters capable of flight fought close range. There was a distinct advantage to being in a higher position and so they gradually started to lift off the ground.  
It only took a little while for Videl to realise what was going on. Gohan had limited himself to almost exactly her Ki, she could sense it. That meant that at least for the time being she had a sporting chance. The rest of his power would kick in almost automatically of course should he get in danger of loosing, but that was okay, there was no sense in him letting her win this anyway, that would just be sending a weaker fighter with no hopes of success on to the semi-finals.  
However the fact that she'd accepted that she'd be defeated in the end, certainly this time around, she still hadn't given up all hope of one day finding a way to match a Super-Saiyan in battle.  
But she couldn't afford to think about that right now. She needed to concentrate on the fight, because Gohan had a lot more experience with this type of fighting, not to mention his Saiyan instincts and reflexes, as an advantage. And while Videl wasn't and had never been afraid of fighting against the odds she wasn't going to be careless about it either.  
Gohan was first to get a little success in their airborne fight. One of his punches got through Videl's defences and sent her flying back a little. By this time they'd levelled off so Videl just horizontally steadied herself and then rushed forward to counter attack, sending Gohan into a period of difficult blocking. Because of his limited Ki Gohan was having substantial trouble with Videl's attacks, not so much that he was letting them through, but it was close.  
  
Backstage the other Z-fighters were watching and Krillin finally couldn't hold his tongue anymore.  
"Videl is doing good, but Gohan's just playing with her, even I could have beaten her by now."  
"Gohan's interest isn't in beating her." Goku said. "Not yet anyway. He will defeat her in the end of course, as it makes no sense to send her to the semi-finals. But right now he's just using this match as a glorified spar for her, so he can continue her training."  
"It's an utter waste of all our time." Vegeta said. "He should just beat her and get it over with, then we can get on with the tournament and he can train her all he wants once it's over."  
"Perhaps that would have the same effect for training." Yamcha said. "But I don't think you realise that he's also showing her off."  
"What do you mean, weakling?" Vegeta snapped.  
"Gohan's in love with Videl." Piccolo explained, defending his pupil. "And as a Saiyan, or in his case demi-Saiyan strength is important to him. He's using this as an opportunity to show the world how strong Videl is. To show that he's selected a strong 'mate' as you would put it."  
A loud "Hmmph." was Vegeta's only reply but his scowl seemed to soften just a little as he continued to watch the fight.  
  
The rest of the fight, though exciting for the public was rather uneventful for the watching Z-fighters. Mostly because they knew what would happen in the end, that Gohan would win, where as the audience, safe a few knowledgeable individuals, Chi-Chi, Bulma, Roshi, Oolong and Puar, did not know about the difference in strength that was there in reality. And so the fight really seemed even to them.  
When the pressure of time started to increase though both contestants realised that this would have to end soon. Videl decided to make this appearance memorable, even if it was a sure defeat and so she started to power up a Super Twister, her trademark Ki-blast.  
Gohan noticed her bringing her arms into the cross position and smiled. This would be the end of their fight, with her own special mentality Videl was going to put everything she had into this attack.  
He prepared himself, keeping his Ki down to about her level and getting ready for his reply attack, a Masenko. Of course he could always power up and use a standard Ki-blast, but he didn't need to. In a way this situation challenged his Saiyan side, he wanted to win, not just on brute strength, but on technique.  
Their calls for the attacks came almost simultaneously.  
"Super Twister fire." Seeming to mix with "Ma... Sen... Ko... Ha!" in the air as the attacks rushed towards each other as two beams of light.  
  
Videl soon felt Gohan's attack overpowering hers. She could sense his base-Ki which was still at her level, but he just had too much of an advantage from his experience. He was far more capable at concentrating his energy in his attack than she was.  
Soon his beam cancelled hers out and then went on to hit her, Gohan had of course configured it quite precisely so that it wouldn't harm her, but it did force her back and then down to the ground, where it pressed her into the grass next to the ring before dissipating.  
"Well," the announcer yelled, "that clinches it folks, after a brilliant match Gohan has won by a ring-out. Let's hear it for these two."  
The crowds erupted in wild cheers, even though some people were a little disappointed that Videl had been beaten.  
Gohan just smiled and flew down, landing next to Videl and helping her up.  
"You did great Videl, I'm proud of you." He whispered, as he pulled her close the instant she was on her feet again.  
"Thanks but you're still a lot better." She answered, leaning closer to him.  
"Don't be to hard on yourself, I've been doing this since I was five, you've only been doing it for a couple of months."  
"Hmm. You always know how to say just the right thing." Videl said, standing on her toes and pressing her lips against his before he could respond.  
Immediately they both lost themselves in the kiss, all of their attention focused on their mouths meeting each other.  
Only when they broke apart for the sake of allowing oxygen to enter their lungs did they realise that the entire crowd was staring at them in a semi-shocked silence.  
Gohan just took Videl's hand and the two of them headed for the waiting area.   
The announcer was still gawking at them along with everyone else as they passed him and Gohan couldn't resist.  
In an instant he had the announcer's mike in hand and ready to use.  
"Haven't you people ever heard of kiss and make up!?" He yelled, before calmly rejoining Videl on their way backstage.  
  
"Great show Gohan." Yamcha said as the two teenagers rejoined the rest of the group.  
"Yeah." Krillin agreed. "And the fight wasn't bad either."  
Gohan blushed a little and Videl's cheeks grew slightly red as well, but in the end it was all just good-natured teasing.  
Then the announcer's voice made it's way in from the outside.  
"All right now folks, now that Videl and Gohan have made out, uhm... up let's get to the next fight, Shin versus Goku."  
  
"Now we shall see." Shin quietly told Kibito before walking out to the ring.  
"All right guys, look sharp." Goku said. "We're finally going to see what this guy can do and maybe we'll even find out who he is and why he's here."  
The others nodded and Goku too made his way out into the ring.  
"Just before we start I have some news." The announcer yelled. "I'm sure you'll all be happy to hear that mister Satan has regained consciousness in the medical ward. Doctors expect him to make a full recovery." There were some cheers before he could continue. "And with that out of the way, let the fight, begin!"  
Goku started out with his power at the same level Vegeta had used in his fight against Kibito, the highest he could go in his normal form, but that didn't seem to be enough in the fight with Shin. The short purple warrior held a decisive advantage for a few minutes and finally managed to knock Goku out of the ring where he could only stop himself just in time to keep from hitting the wall. Shin waited for Goku to return and Goku used the time to transform. Jumping to the first level of Super-Saiyan with virtually no effort, earning him a chorus of gasps from the crowd as his hair changed colour.  
So, Shin thought to himself, that part of the legend at least is true, now to see how much power he really has.  
The short and purple supreme guardian of the universe concentrated as he summoned his full power. It got him to about that level Goku was on now, though little beyond it. Meanwhile Goku had flown back into the ring and the fight resumed. Shin was amazed as Goku not only matched him from the beginning but then started a very gradual power-up within his Super-Saiyan level making his power rise significantly above the amount Shin held himself.  
It's still not enough. Shin thought, as he was slowly but surely defeated. But I can't force him to show more of his strength, perhaps some of the others may or I'll have to ask.  
Goku noticed that Shin had reached his maximum and smiled. The short purple warrior was actually quite good, certainly a lot stronger than Frieza, but not as strong as Cell.  
Well. Goku corrected himself in thought. Probably a little stronger than Cell's first stage, but not after he'd absorbed #17 and certainly not after he'd absorbed both androids.  
Goku continued to fight slowly increasing his power all the while and soon found he had a decisive upper hand. Shin had truly reached the highest level he could. With that established Goku decided to make short work of the rest of the fight, non of the Z-fighters really liked to fool around when it came to competitive fighting, Gohan's earlier fight with Videl had been an exception, but how often did they fight their loved ones? The finals would probably be a bit of an exception too, a bit of show fighting at first before getting down to business.  
But as it was Goku simply took advantage of an unguarded moment on Shin's behalf to seize the smaller fighter by the waist and throw him to the ground next to ring where he left another crater. Next to the one Tien had made earlier.  
"And that does it." The announcer yelled. "Shin is down, Son Goku wins with another ring out."   
In the mean time Shin was getting up and brushing off his clothes and Goku noticing this floated down to him.  
"I hope I didn't hurt you too bad." The Saiyan stated.  
"Don't worry I am fine." Shin replied. "In fact I was hoping you would be able to defeat me."  
"But why?" Goku asked.  
"That would take too long to explain right now, however I do want to speak with you and your friends later, I will explain everything then."  
"Okay."  
The two fighters made their way backstage together and Goku announced to his friends that Shin wanted to speak with them later. The others just nodded and got ready to either fight or to watch the next fight, as the announcer was just announcing it.  
"So are you all ready for the next match?" He asked the crowd, pausing for them to cheer. "Yeah it looks like a great battle, two of our most impressive new-comers ever facing off. It's #18 versus Vegeta."  
  
Vegeta and #18 walked out into the ring, both of them looking serious. They were easily the two most serious fighters in the group and of course they had a history together, going back to Vegeta's humiliating defeat at #18's hands when she and #17 first fought the Z-fighters. Part of Vegeta wanted revenge for that but he knew that Bulma had grown to consider #18 a friend and it would take him a lot of shopping-trips to apologise if he hurt her. And not just the normal shopping trips either, the ones where she didn't simply tell him they were going shopping, but the ones where he had to ask her to go shopping, and then when she turned him down beg her until she agreed. And not just one of those either, maybe even a dozen.  
#18 was as dispassionate as ever on the outside, she only ever broke through that stern exterior when she was alone with Krillin or Marron or both. On the inside however she was a little worried that Vegeta might go rather far in an attempt to get revenge, she could take a lot and knew she he wouldn't kill her, Vegeta was to hell bend on winning to get himself disqualified, but even with the rules regarding excessive use of force this tournament still allowed you to go pretty far, Gohan's defeat of mister Satan had only been a mild example of that.  
She wasn't even really worried about her own health or safety, but if Vegeta hurt her Krillin would probably go berserk and try to attack him. Vegeta would then of course hurt Krillin as well and she really cared for her husband.  
As #18 had expected he would Vegeta had transformed before they ever reached the ring and though she couldn't really sense Ki she knew she was probably no match for Vegeta right now. Krillin had been trying to teach her to sense Ki but it was slow go, as her human side seemed to be dominated by her android components in that area.  
She was prepared to put up a courageous fight however, what ever she was, she was not a quitter, a lot of people had taught her that. Android #16 had been the first, somehow, even inside of Cell she'd been aware of his actions during the Cell-games, and she'd known his love for life above all else that had even conquered his programming to kill Goku. After that her new friends had been a big help, Gohan and his struggle with himself after the Cell-games and most of all Krillin.  
Krillin was of course the only reason she'd known Gohan back then, the only reason she'd ever gotten to know any of the others. She'd run into him, quite by chance, the day after the Cell-games. She'd learned later that he was just on his way home from seeing of Mirai Trunks who was going back to a future where she was on the sort of killing-spree her maker had intended for her. She didn't want to do that here however. First of all Gohan could beat her, and Piccolo should be able to as well, he'd been the stronger when he'd fought #17 before Cell had absorbed him and she and her twin brother had been equal in strength. She'd felt a need to talk, about everything, and had found herself somehow drawn to Krillin by much that same thing that had possessed her to kiss him when they first met. In the end she'd opened up to him about everything. About the internal conflict between her programming and her feelings, some of which she attributed to her friendship with #16. About her regrets about having been part of Cell and about her feeling of loneliness now that #16 and #17 were no longer around.[1] Krillin had just sat there and listened for a long time, but he too had opened up to her. About how he missed Goku and how he wished he could do more for Gohan who was trying to keep up a brave face even though Krillin knew he was hurt deep inside. Even about his love life, or lack of same, and about his history with women. Soon she and Krillin had become friends and she'd started going with him to all the parties at Capsule Corp, and most other things as well, and finally, one day, four months after the Cell-games Krillin had proposed and she'd accepted. She'd never let any of the others get to her real feelings, even though Chi-Chi and Bulma had grown to be relatively close friends, but something about Krillin just enabled her to drop her guard.  
Now however she had to return her attention to the fight as she entered the ring together with Vegeta. She knew the outcome of the fight, but she wasn't going to give up without actually fighting it.  
  
The two of them rushed at each other as the announcer yelled for the fight to start. The announcer along with the audience was a bit stunned about the changes in hair colour the Saiyans were displaying but at this point the fighting was so intense and captivating that they didn't care.  
#18 threw all she had into the first exchange of blows, even that way she was sure she couldn't win but at least she might be able to get a couple of shot in before Vegeta got fully used to fighting and the power he was using.  
The exchange was fierce and fast, like any exchange between Z-fighters. #18 had been right when she thought she might be able to get a shot in and managed to deliver an upper cut to Vegeta's jaw at the end of it, forcing the Saiyan prince to take a step backwards. But after that he attacked with renewed power, and the slender yet strong android found herself blocking more than anything else. Finally Vegeta managed to get in a good kick to her stomach. One that he'd underestimated himself, because he'd wanted to play with her some more and this kick knocked her out of the ring, and into the surrounding wall.  
#18 let out a small sigh, the fight was over. Looking as calm and composed as ever she got up and brushed of her clothes. The announcer was yelling but she didn't really care about that, she'd lost as she'd expected. She was just hoping she could win the Battle Royal for fifth place, as fifth place still got prise money. Maybe that way she and Krillin could move out on their own so she wouldn't have to worry about Roshi trying to spy on her when she was in the shower anymore. Videl wasn't any competition, though she'd have to be careful not to hurt the girl too much or Gohan would be after her hide.  
Shin was the real problem, she just didn't know where he fit in, he might be a bit stronger than her, but he might not, all she'd been able to tell was that Goku had been forced to go Super Saiyan to beat him, which put him roughly in her class, but above or below she couldn't say.  
  
"Well," the announcer yelled, "that clinches it. Vegeta is our last semi-finalist. That means our two semi-finals will be Piccolo versus Gohan and Goku versus Vegeta. Will this lead us to an eventual father-son showdown in the finals, or will one of the have to avenge the other. Or will neither make it through, nobody can say for sure, but I can say for sure that this is the first time in the history of the World Tournament, from the first tournament on, that two generations of the same family have made it to the semi finals.  
Piccolo against Gohan will be the first semi-final as I said and it promises to be an interesting match. Piccolo of course lost to Goku, Gohan's father, in the final of the 23rd Tournament. And now he'll have to go up against the son of the man who defeated him.  
Goku we know to be a great fighter, but his opponent for the next round, Vegeta doesn't seem anything other than impressive either. So stick around for what is sure to be a super show. However before we get to the semi-finals we have one more thing on our program, after the usual fifteen minute break there will be a battle royal for fifth place. As you know we pay out to the top five places and we have to have someway to decide who's the fifth. So Videl, Shin and #18 will be facing of all at once. Mighty Mask will of course not be participating in that fight as he was disqualified."  
"Bummer eh Goten." Trunks whispered as he and his friend heard the announcer. "I guess sneaking back into the waiting area really is everything we have left to do."  
"Yeah, I wonder who that guy fighting daddy was though." Goten remarked. "He must be pretty strong to make daddy go Super-Saiyan."  
"Who cares?" Trunks said dejectedly. "We won't get to fight him so it's hardly our concern."  
"So why are we sneaking in again?" Goten asked.  
"Just answer me this, where would you rather be, with our dads or with our moms who'll get angry because we tried to fight?"  
"I wanna be with daddy and Gohan." Goten said.  
"Exactly that's why we're sneaking back in and now we have be quiet."  
"Okay Trunks."  
The two boys continued on their way silently, sneaking into the athletes waiting area by flying there, virtually pressed against the ceiling.  
To their surprise the others were all gathered around Shin who was apparently telling them something.  
"First of all." Shin told the Z-fighters. "I think you should know who I am. Some of you probably have at least some suspicions already and Piccolo even had some suspicion that I might exist before he even met me. I am the Supreme-Kai."  
The Z-fighters gasped as the two surprised eaves dropping kids wondered what a 'Supreme-Kai' was.  
"Wow." Goku said. "I've heard rumours from King Kai, about someone above the Grand-Kai but I never knew they were real."  
"It's not surprising, even the Grand-Kai doesn't often meet me, I think it was over a thousand of your years ago that I last spoke to him."  
The others gave a short nod of understanding and Shin continued.  
"Though this may seem strange I am here looking for help. Even though I'm the supreme guardian of this universe I find myself without the power to guard it. I only hope that one or more among you may have such power."  
Gohan slowly nodded and then replied. "I think we may. With myself my father and Vegeta you are probably dealing with three of the strongest, if not the three strongest, fighters in the universe. In what order the rest of this tournament will show."  
The two other Saiyans nodded in agreement as did Shin.  
"I have not met anyone who could defeat me before so I am optimistic about your chances. However the enemy that awaits is stronger that any other. Many of your years ago, when Humanity was still in its infancy there were five Supreme-Kais, North, South, East and West, and what you might call a Grand-Supreme-Kai, I was the youngest, the East-Supreme-Kai. All of the others were killed by the monster we'll be facing again and only through a stroke of luck did I manage to win that battle, though not the war. But I will have to tell you more about that later as Videl, #18 and myself have to fight in a few minutes. Though I can't say I will really put a lot of effort into this fight, I don't need what you call money, but there is no reason to alert everyone else, or to make myself stand out anymore than I already have."  
  
[1]  
#16 could not be revived because he was fully mechanical. #17 didn't come back in this AU as he was part of Cell when he died.  
  
/*  
  
Next time on Life Is Strange, the battle royal for fifth place and the semi-finals, who among our brave warriors will make it to the final and will the final be in the next chapter all ready or will you have to wait another. Only one way to find out, be sure to read the next exciting chapter of Life Is Strange.  
  
Well it took a while for this to get out but while I did have a lot of inspiration it was mostly on another story. I'm posting that story, 'Dawn Of The Third Era' at the same time as updating this and my other current story 'Gohan Goes To Highschool', it's another Gohan/Videl, my third, just click my author name at the top to go to a list of all my stories, but before you do that, please review this story.  
  
Also finally please note again that the poles have been closed.  
  
*/ 


	17. The Tournament Continues

/*  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ isn't mine, Gohan is, well in my dreams he is at any rate.  
  
Anything between /* and */ is just me budding in, so is anything after // up until the next hard return.  
For those of you that realised, I'm trying to learn to program in C++ as a hobby, that's the origin of the commentary codes.  
  
*/  
  
/*   
  
Response to reviews:  
  
To Rarity88:  
I'm a bit confused here, so I think something must have gone wrong with this review. Half of it doesn't make sense, though I'd like to see the story it was intended for, it sounds like it might be good.  
  
To Lady Foeseeker:  
Well I'm sorry, you couldn't wait for more and I've made you wait an extraordinary amout of time. Writers block is a bitch, both to the writer and to the readers.  
  
To Jer:  
Thanks for the favourite line honour, though it may have been replaced by now, another appology is in order for my tardiness but I just can't seem to write on a story when I have writers block for it (I'm told that's a quite common problem).  
  
To ~*Crystal Lily*~:  
I'm running out of original ways to appologise, so sorry. On the Sayaman costume, no I don't really like it, who does?  
  
To Lady Queen:  
I'm not sure if I replied to your e-mail or not, probably not, as at that time I still thought it wouldn't be long before I updated again. * sigh * My apologies for my tardiness, hope you haven't forgotten about me.   
Anyway, for the outcome of the battle royal and the Goku - Vegeta fight, just start reading. You were right about one thing, I already had the whole thing planned out, except for who'd win the final.  
  
To Nate:  
I am ever going to update, like right now. Thanks for your reviews.  
  
To Everyone:  
First of all a general apology. I had my worst case of writers block over with this story over the past two months or so. I guess it's just a side effect from writing so much before, I wrote 98000 words, that's about an novel in length in just three months and eight day, febuary 21st to may 29th I guess I just needed a break, mentally. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy it.  
  
*/  
  
/*  
Summary:  
Because it's been a long time since I updated I decided to include a summary of what happened before.  
This fic started during Gohan's high school days, before Videl discovered Gohan was Sayaman. Anyway Videl started to grow closer Gohan and in a way to Sayaman. This eventually ended with her falling in love with Gohan and the two of them kissing. After that she found out the truth about Gohan and met his friends. Since the two of the were getting married Goku decided to come back, as no-one had shown up looking for him in the sever years after Cell, so Gohan and Videl went to New-Namek, along with Goten and Trunks who stowed away (more or less by accident). On New-Namek they met forces of the former Cold Empire, led by The Heir Of The Cold-Empire (THOCE for short) a biologically enhanced creature, basically the Cold-Empire's version of Cell. Gohan managed to defeat THOCE, going to level three for the first time during the fight, when Videl got hurt.  
To keep a long story short Sharpner and Erasa got married and Gohan and Videl saw Hercule again, he'd thrown Videl out of his house when they'd announced their engagement. After some more irrelevant events the World Tournament started and there the following happened:   
Piccolo defeated Krillin in the first round and Mighty Mask (Goten and Trunks) was disqualified in his fight against Piccolo for being two people.  
Gohan defeated Hercule in the first round and then Videl in the quarterfinals.  
Goku defeated Tien in the first round and Shin in the quarterfinals.  
And Vegeta defeated Kibito in the first round and #18 in the quarterfinals.  
During the break between rounds Shin told the others that he was the Supreme Kai and that he needed help fighting an ancient foe. His time was cut short however as he had to fight with Videl and #18 in the Battle Royal for fifth place.  
*/  
  
Life Is Strange  
  
Chapter 17: The Tournament Continues  
  
"And now ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to present the battle royal!" The announcer yelled. "As you know this is the battle to determine fifth place, as the first five places are paid out to. All losing quarter finalists will take part in this battle where they will face each other. Mighty Mask won't be a part of this battle as he was disqualified for being two people. So that leaves, Videl, Shin and #18!"  
The three mentioned fighters made their way to the ring in silence once their names had been called. Videl noticed the crowd cheering, mostly for her, but she also knew she didn't really have a chance.  
Well, she thought to herself, at least I can do my best to help #18 win. I think Shin is stronger, though I can't be sure as #18 doesn't have Ki, but with the two of us working together we just might get the better of him. I think #18 and Krillin could use the money and Shin's already said he doesn't want it anyway.  
Her face took on a determined look as she entered the ring. The three of them dispersed more or less evenly and the sign was given to start the fight.  
  
Shin merely smiled as Videl and #18 both attacked him at once. He'd half been expecting it. The two of them knew each other so it made sense for them to work together. Normally he would definitely have been able to handle even the two of them combined, but his match in the quarter-finals had been tough and he wasn't really motivated.  
I don't have any use for money. He thought to himself. Nor am I here for honour or glory, I'm simply here to find help and I've found it. That's all the reward I need.  
Still he put up a decent fight. Dodging their opening attacks, a kick from Videl and a punch from #18 and then counter attacking, focusing on the android.  
A series of kicks and punches that packed only a little bit of his power, enough to make a good show, but not enough for anything else. He needed to safe his strength, even though it was doubtful whether he would fight himself later on.  
His series of attacks was soon interrupted as Videl charged at him from the side and he had to turn to use a wind blast to blow her back to the edge of the ring. The interruption was long enough for #18 to switch to the attack however and soon he was being pushed back by a series of punches and kicks similar to the one he'd used on her.  
He blocked for a while and then dodged only to be hit by a Ki-blast send his way by Videl, which pushed him to the edge of the ring. He deflected the blast but as soon as it was clear #18 was back on the offensive, initiating another exchange of blows that got him out of the ring and onto the grass in the end.  
  
Once Shin was out of the ring #18 turned her attention to Videl. After the Supreme Kai the human girl was hardly a challenge, but she didn't want to hurt Videl. The girl had helped her fight Shin after all and besides that Gohan would probably flip if his Fiancée got hurt. And a flipping Gohan was the last thing #18 needed. After all men could do strange things when they got emotional and he might just attack her.  
However, even in the short time they'd known each other #18 had discovered one thing about Videl, the girl wasn't the type to quit, even in a no-win situation. She would definitely have to get Videl out of the ring to win this fight.  
Even when she was being careful, like now, #18 wasn't one to mess about however and with a quick series of barely dodgable kicks and punches she pushed Videl back to the edge of the ring. Videl tried to take to the air when she was cornered, but the Android simply caught her leg and used it to force her into the grass outside the ring.  
"And #18 wins." The announcer yelled. "With Shin and Videl both out of the ring the fight for fifth place has been settled and so we'll move swiftly to the semi-finals." He had to pause as cheers erupted for the two departing female fighters. "Now without any further ado let's move to the first of these. It's Piccolo versus Gohan!"  
  
Gohan smiled as he walked out to the ring next to Piccolo. He'd added a cape to his outfit, making the two of them look identical as far as their clothes were concerned.  
"It's been a long time since we fought each other, hasn't it kid?" Piccolo said.  
"A long time indeed." Gohan replied. "But this isn't the old days anymore. You won't be able to beat me this time."  
"I have the same feeling kid. But who knows, I might be able to surprise you." Piccolo answered as they assumed their stance.  
"Let's just have fun, like the old days." Gohan replied.  
"Okay kid, we will. But let's stop talking and let's start fighting."  
Gohan nodded and their power-up started.  
  
Gohan's transformation was less of a surprise to the crowd now that they'd seen so many and in fact the comment, "well here we go again" could be heard coming from more than one person.  
  
The fight started when Gohan felt Piccolo's Ki level off as his power-up ended. The young demi-Saiyan just stopped himself at about the same level and launched into action, aiming a fist at his mentor's face. Piccolo caught the fist and went for a kick to the stomach which Gohan easily dodged. Gohan then decided to see if he could get the altitude advantage and shot into the air with Piccolo hot on his tail.  
After a while Gohan turned, while in flight and prepared to come to a stop, hoping that he'd be able to send Piccolo to the ground with a punch.  
The older fighter realised what was going on however and stopped so that Gohan's punch met nothing but air. Piccolo then hit Gohan with an upward punch that send him flying for a bit. He soon regained control though and rushed forward to start an airborne exchange of blows that ended with Piccolo heading down involuntarily. Gohan rushed down after him, but overshot his target as the Namek managed to halt his fall.  
Piccolo then turned the tables on Gohan by starting to pursue the young demi-Saiyan again, but this move backfired when Gohan landed on his hands and immediately stretched his legs, kicking up and hitting Piccolo in the chin.  
  
Piccolo landed near the edge of the ring after Gohan's kick to his chin connected and send him flying back. By the time he landed Gohan was on his feet again as well and the two of them stood there, staring each other in the eyes.  
"Shall we take of the weight?" The Demi-Saiyan suggested.  
Piccolo nodded, it was time for the fight to get serious.  
As he reached for the left side of his cape with his right hand he saw Gohan do the same. Moving simultaneously they both pulled their capes over their heads and threw them to their respective rights, out of the ring on either side. There was a loud thud, particularly loud to his Namekian ears, as the two capes hit the ground and he could feel the ground shake ever so slightly from the impact.  
"How much weight did you have on?" Gohan asked.  
Piccolo shrugged a little. "About two tons, you?"  
"I'd say around 5 tons." Gohan replied.  
Piccolo nodded. He'd already sensed that where his own surface Ki had gone up a lot Gohan's had risen even more. Far more as a matter of fact. And taking that into account a much greater weight was not surprising, it was expected. After all Gohan was now about as high as he could go without entering level 2.  
  
"Well now it'll be over soon." Goku commented from where the other Z-fighters were watching.  
"Yeah, when a Saiyan has a power level that high not even Piccolo can keep up." Krillin said. "Let's face it guys, we're redundant."  
Tien smiled. "You're right, to an extend, we are out-classed by far, but that doesn't mean there's nothing for us to do."  
"Yeah guess you're right about that." Krillin responded before turning back to watch the fight.  
  
Gohan knew that it wouldn't be long now. He had too much of a power advantage now that the weights had come of. The only advantages Piccolo had were experience, and his Namekian physiology which allowed him to use some techniques others weren't capable of.  
The very next exchange of blows proved that last point to Gohan once again, as Piccolo managed to land a punch on him by changing his size to overcome Gohan's backward dodge.  
Gohan merely smiled as the fist connected, the power the punch packed just wasn't enough to hurt him in his present state. Still smiling he shot up and waited for Piccolo to follow. The airborne exchange that followed was quick, Piccolo made a valiant effort but Gohan now had him outmatched in both strength and speed. Finally Gohan finished it with a double handed downward hit. Sending Piccolo into the ground beside the ring hard.  
The crater he left was nearly twice the size of Tien's and Shin's craters. But the mighty Namek simply got up and dusted off his clothes, as Gohan himself floated down and transformed back to his normal form.  
"Need any help." He asked.  
Piccolo shook his head. "Nah, I'm fine kid. I probably hurt you worse when I first trained you."  
Gohan smiled somewhat wryly and rubbed his left arm where he felt a phantom pain at the memory of his training.  
The two of them then left the stadium while the crowd applauded wildly.  
  
Goku gave his son a quick pat on the back as he re-entered the athletes waiting area along with Piccolo. He wanted to speak but the announcer's voice demanded his attention, his own fight was next after all.  
"Well everyone that was a fantastic semi-final, and I'm sure you're all ready for the next!" The crowd cheered. "Well then, shall we get our fighters out here?" More cheers. "Alright, our first competitor in this match is Son Goku, the father of our determined finalist Son Gohan and a former world tournament winner himself. He'll undoubtedly be a strong competitor here and has the extra motivation of shooting for the first ever final between two relatives in the history of the tournament.  
His opponent Vegeta is a new challenger and little is known about him. What we do know is that whatever else he is, he is tough. So Goku may have quite a fight on his hands. Maybe even the toughest fight he's ever had here."  
The crowd cheered again. Goku had become an instant favourite after mister Satan's defeat, because of his history in the tournament and all but the most die-hard Hercule fans were now cheering for the Z-fighters, but more for Goku than for the others.  
  
  
Vegeta received far fewer cheers as they walked to the ring together, but the Saiyan prince was probably the last person to care about that. He only had one goal: to fight, and if possible to defeat Kakarott.  
Finally the crowd quieted down and the announcer gave the signal to fight. Vegeta started his power up immediately and he could sense his opponent doing the same, the two of them reaching Super-Saiyan form within seconds and then going on to level 2 within the space of a minute. Finally with a loud roar Vegeta reached his maximum.  
  
Goku stopped his power-up as he felt Vegeta's Ki level off. They were at about the same level now and he couldn't go much higher anyway without going into level three, and that had some definite draw backs.  
Vegeta started the fight, charging at Goku at full speed, eager as ever to fight his old foe and (albeit reluctant on the Saiyan prince's behalf) friend.  
Goku met Vegeta's assault with determination, rushing forward himself into an exchange of kicks and punches that even a Saiyan could barely keep track of. Fists were flying everywhere and levitation seemed to start not in an attempt to get the upper hand by gaining height, but because they didn't seem to have their legs on the ground anymore due to the number of kicks being exchanged.  
After a few minutes the two of them broke apart again, both panting and sweating from the kind of work-out only another Saiyan could provide.  
"Not bad, Kakarott." Vegeta managed to get out between gasps.  
Goku just smiled. "You're not doing too bad yourself Vegeta." He replied.  
Vegeta just snorted and they rushed at each other again.  
Goku managed to get the upper hand in this second exchange driving Vegeta back to near the edge of the ring before the Saiyan prince managed to regain his stability and match him again.  
The next exchange went to Vegeta however and after that the fight continued for a while on even terms. Consecutive short and powerful exchanges dominating it.  
The real change came during a break between exchanges when the announcer told the fighters that 20 of their 30 minutes had passed.  
Goku made a decision when he heard this, there was no other way. He started to concentrate his energy once more and let out a yell, starting the process of going into level three.  
  
Vegeta realised what his opponent was doing the instant Goku's new power-up started. He swore under his breath and rushed forward trying to use the power-up and the concentration it took on Goku's behalf as a window of opportunity to strike. Unfortunately Goku's aura of energy was too intense for even the mighty prince of Saiyans to get through during his power-up and Vegeta could do nothing but stand by and wait as Goku's hair started to grow, first further up and then down, past his waist until it was at about mid-thigh.  
  
Goku smiled as he finished his power-up. The Saiyan love of fighting was now coursing through his veins along with his blood. He could see resignation on Vegeta's face, the shorter Saiyan knew he didn't have a chance now. Not yet anyway, it was only a matter of time before Vegeta got to level three, and then they would be nearly equal again.  
For now however Goku had more power and he used it, striking almost too fast for Vegeta to see and certainly to fast for him to react. Pushing the Saiyan prince out of the ring and then hitting down hard to send him into the ground, creating a crater about the size of Piccolo's but on the other side of the ring.  
  
The instant Vegeta hit the ground Goku powered down again, his hair growing shorter and then a different shade of gold and finally black again as he powered all the way down before sitting on the edge of the ring to regain some strength while Vegeta got up.  
"You okay Vegeta?" He asked.  
Vegeta just snorted, showing that he was okay and powering down as well.  
"I will beat you next time Kakarott." He said as the two of the made their way back to the athletes waiting area. But Goku knew better than to reply.  
  
"So who do you think will win, you or your dad?" Videl asked, looking up at Gohan expectantly as the announcer went on about Goku's victory and the first family final outside.  
"Hard to say." Gohan answered. "Dad's been putting in a little more training, but I've always seemed to be able to do with less training than him or Vegeta with more, so we can't really go by that. Also I'm not sure if he showed his full strength in level three just now, if he did I'm a little stronger but I think he didn't which means were probably about as strong as each other. If we assume that we are I think I have the better chance. Dad's had to go to level three against Vegeta and even if it was only for a very short time that probably took a lot out of him."  
Videl nodded and would have said something if Shin hadn't called them over.  
  
"Alright everyone." Shin said, once the entire group had gathered around him. "I will now explain to you why I'm here.[1] As I told you before I'm here for help, which I need to fight a monster that has lain dormant since humanity was in its infancy. This monster is called Buu, and to tell you the truth, he's here on Earth... In his dormant state." He added as he saw the looks of concern around him. "It all started with a wizard, named Bibidi. Now Bibidi wasn't powerful the way you are, but he had a magic that was capable of exercising great power, and he used this magic to create Buu, the ultimate creature of destruction.  
Buu had great strength but one of his powers was the power to absorb others, a power you've already encountered, albeit in a different form in the creature known as Cell.  
Using this power Buu absorbed the South Supreme Kai and the Grand Supreme Kai, after killing the West and North Supreme Kais, only I escaped by a stroke of luck. You see Bibidi couldn't control Buu like he wanted so whenever he slept he sealed Buu in a cocoon with a spell. In this sealed in state he transported Buu to Earth, which was to be Buu's next target. I followed him and managed to kill Bibidi before he had a chance to unleash Buu again, leaving Buu sealed. I did not have the power to fight Buu then anymore than I do now, so I did not temper with the cocoon and risk opening it by accident, in stead I left it buried deep in the earth where no-one could disturb it.  
Unfortunately there was one fact which we did not have, Bibidi had a son, Babidi. When I decided to leave the Cocoon here I thought no-one could come for it, because nobody could open it and for that matter no-one except for myself knew of its existance. But Babidi did know and now he has come, he is in fact on Earth right now, and he has the cocoon."  
"But if he has the cocoon why hasn't he unleashed Buu yet?" Piccolo asked.  
"Ah, there in lies his problem. There's no guarantee it will work if he tries. Because of how long Buu has been dormant he may have lost power and with Buu there is no halfway, either he will return at full power, or he will not return at all. But now I must hurry and get to he point that is important right now. Babidi has found a way around his uncertainty. He has send two of his minions here. Their orders are to steal the energy of whoever wins this tournament, this energy will be the first to be given to Buu and once Babidi gives Buu as much energy as he would have at full power he can be sure that Buu can be awoken successfully.  
Our plan is quite simple, we will chase the ones he has send back to their base, not allowing them to get the energy, they will be no match for you. Once we've found their base we'll go in. Hopefully you Saiyans will be strong enough to handle Buu if Babidi succesfully releases him and if he isn't successfull we should be more than capable of dealing with the rest of Babidi's minions."  
There were nods all around.  
"Alright then." Gohan said. "So once we're through with the final we wait for the attackers and give chase, as the rest of you join us."  
Shin nodded.  
"Who has the senzu beans?" Goku asked. "The two of us probably won't be in prime condition and some of you could probably use one as well, to get going again."  
"That won't be necessary." Shin said. "Kibito can heal people much like the god of this planet can. Should any of you require healing he will take care of it before we leave, Babidi's men are too weak to be able to outrun us so we should have no problems catching up."  
  
As the adult fighters below all nodded at Shin's last comment Trunks, who was still pressed against the ceiling in hiding, motioned to Goten that they should leave for a little while. Still flying along the ceiling they made their way back outside where they sat down to talk.  
"So what do you say?" Trunks asked his friend. "Shall we tag along later on?"  
"I'm not sure Trunks." Goten replied. "It could be dangerous."  
"Nonsense Goten, it'll be cool. After all we're Super-Saiyans, besides, don't you want to see a real battle, like the ones they keep telling us stories about?"  
"Yeah but..."  
"No buts Goten, or are you too chicken to go?"  
"I'm not chicken Trunks."  
"So it's settled, we'll wait until they've gone and then we follow them."  
"Say Trunks do you think we could get back into our normal clothes before we go?"  
"How could we, Piccolo replaced them with these horrible little mighty mask things remember."  
"Yeah, but my mom brought a space Gi for me and I'm sure yours did the same. So all we have to do is sneak into the stands and grab the bag with the clothes."  
"That's a great idea Goten, let's go."  
Trunks started run for the stands.  
"Wait for me Trunks!" Goten yelled running after his friend.  
  
Gohan had spend some time talking to Videl after Shin had finished his story but by the time the announcers voice signalled the end of the fifteen minute break between rounds he was already waiting near the exit of the waiting area, next to his dad.  
"Well folks our fighters have had a chance to rest and we're ready to start the final!" The announcer yelled. "So let's welcome them to the ring." His voice was drowned out by the crowds applause, and he waited for it to die down. "Our first finalist is a new comer to the tournament but he's made it all the way to the final non the less, perhaps it's too be expected, as his father is a former champion and his mother made it to the quarterfinals of the same tournament, but in any case it's quite an accomplishment, so please welcome Son Gohan!"  
Gohan walked to the ring, feeling just the slightest bit nervous. He could hear the voices of the crowd and he could hear above all the others his friends and family, his mom, Bulma, Oolong, Puar, Roshi, Chaozu and Sharpner and Erasa, cheering him on. Once he got to the ring he made a bow to thank the crowd and then just stood there, waiting for silence to return.  
"Gohan has the chance to become the youngest ever World Tournament winner." The announcer proclaimed. "But to do so he will have to get past the current holder of that position and a true veteran of this tournament, his own father. So would you please welcome Son Goku!"  
The crowd erupted in cheers once again as Goku joined his son in the ring. He too bowed to the audience and then waited for silence to return and the announcer to speak again.  
"I've already told you about Goku's legendary past in this tournament, he reached the final when he was just 12 years old, and again in the next two tournaments, finally winning at the age of 19. Now his own son has reached the finals at age 18, threatening to take away Goku's record as the youngest ever winner, though as the most frequent finalist and the youngest ever finalist Goku will still have plenty of records left, regardless of which way this fight goes. So without wasting any more time on talk, let the fight begin!"  
  
  
Gohan smiled as he looked at his dad. Goku was about ready to start his power up but Gohan interrupted him.  
"Hey dad."  
Surprised the older Saiyan looked up. "Yes Son."  
"How about waiting for a while before we power up, do a couple of classic moves?"  
"What did you have in mind son?"  
"I was thinking, that we could maybe give a demonstration of the Jan-Ken technique. At least the audience should be able to see that for a change."  
Goku smiled and nodded. "You attack first."  
Gohan nodded and drew back his hand.  
"Jan-Ken, Rock." As he yelled the word rock he attacked, a fist to the face which his dad easily blocked.  
"My turn." Goku announced, still smiling broadly. "Jan-Ken, Paper."   
An open handed slap had Gohan blocking this time.  
He too continued smiling as he prepared his next attack. "Jan-Ken, Scissors."  
This had been expected, they always went through the three of them in order on the first three shots, after that the predictability ended, though the attacks were still yelled of course.  
  
"Jan-Ken, Scissors."  
Videl watched as Gohan attacked his father in what was their fifteenth exchange of Jan-Ken attacks.  
"What are they doing." She asked Krillin, who was standing next to her.  
"Playing." The short man answered. "And putting on a bit of a show. They'll probably switch to wrong names in a minute and then after a while start the real fight. There's no rush now that they're in the finals, the time limit still applies of course but once they've powered up it will be over all too soon. They're just giving the crowd what it wants for now, a great show."  
Videl nodded and watched as Goku indeed yelled out rock while attacking with paper. Gohan however noticed in time and blocked, before yelling scissors and attacking with rock.  
  
After about 5 minutes Gohan thought the Jan-Ken spar had gone on long enough.  
"Hey dad." He yelled after attacking without success once again. "Shall we power up?"  
"What's your plan Gohan?" Goku asked.  
"I was thinking go to level one now have a bit of a spar, then go to level two after another five minutes or so. Another five minutes in level two and then go to level three for the remaining fifteen minutes to have the real fight."  
"Okay son, let's do it."  
They both returned to their starting positions, facing each other across the ring, before letting out a simultaneous roar.  
Immediately they were both surrounded by yellow aura's as their hair turned gold and their muscles bulged very slightly.  
It's actually pretty cool. Gohan thought. Powering up while watching someone else do the same thing, almost like looking in a mirror, but in a way it's different.  
  
Goku smiled his classic happy smile as he and his son both levelled off at the top of level one, there was very little between them indeed as they both got ready for the next stage of this fight. Though it wasn't the decisive stage, neither one of them would even consider allowing the other to lose at this point, their pride demanded that the battle be decided at level three.  
Yes our pride. Goku thought. Much as we hate to admit it sometimes all of us Saiyans have Saiyan pride. But as long as it isn't an obsession, like for Vegeta, it's not so bad. It actually keeps our way of fighting honourable, if we use it well.  
He was rudely interrupted in his musings when his son fist came flying towards his face. He quickly grabbed it and jumped up to avoid the kick Gohan send towards his legs almost at the same time as he send the punch to his face.  
Using his jump as a start he shot up further into the air preparing to attack downward when his son suddenly appeared next to him having shot up at full speed.  
I'd better start watching it. Goku thought, as he fought on, on instinct. What ever else Gohan is doing he's really giving me a run for my money, I'll have to pay attention to the fight.  
  
Gohan returned to his corner of the ring again once the five minutes in level one were over. Goku did the same and they started to power up further. In the last five minutes they'd both had little victories and little defeats, pretty much evenly matched. None of the hits scored had been anywhere near decisive though, they'd only knocked each other back a couple of feet on occasion.  
The fight progressed pretty much the same in level two. Duck, jump, dodge, counter, block and counter again, in an intricate pattern that filled the ring and the air above it almost like some sort of ballet.  
This, Gohan mused as he fought, is the true beauty of martial arts. The art of movement in combat, the combination of speed, power and grace.  
Time passed quickly however and as the half way point of the fight was signalled father and son made their ways to their respective corners of the ring once more. Another roar signalled their last transformation of the match, to a level that had only been seen a couple of times before, the third level of Super-Saiyan.  
  
Goku's heart pounded faster after they'd both transformed, from what he could tell their power was equal. The Saiyan love of fighting raced through his veins once more and he was sure it raced through his sons just the same. Simultaneously they jumped and attacked, faster an fiercer than any of the fighting before had been. Now wasn't a time to play or to put on a show any more, now was the time to decide this match.  
Faster, harder, ever faster, dodge, punch, run, fly. They were both purely fighting on instinct for the time being, but neither one seemed to be able to gain the advantage. Finally they broke apart again, panting after ten minutes of what was probably the most incredible fighting ever to take place on the face of the Earth.  
"This isn't getting us anywhere." He observed as he watched his son. "If we keep fighting like that it would take hours to decide the match."  
"True." Gohan responded. "Shall we make it a Ki-beam showdown then?"  
Goku nodded, that was what he'd been aiming for.  
They looked each other in the eye for a second and started to prepare their attacks. Only half a minute later their voices filled the air simultaneously.  
"Kamehameha!"  
"Masenko ha!"  
  
/*  
Next time on Life is Strange, the Ki-beam showdown between Gohan and Goku takes place, what will the outcome be? Who will win the tournament? And what will happen afterwards, when the Z-fighters have to go after the wizard Babidi and his father's monstrous creation, Buu?  
  
Well I've done it again haven't I? I come back and I just had to leave a cliff hanger. What kind of cruel person am I?  
Well I'm not sure on that and I do apologise for the extremely long time this chapter has been in the coming, but I just had total writers block on this story. Anyway, I hope to have chapter 18 in two weeks time, but I can't make any promises, I've got a lot of other stuff to do as well. (Dawn of the Third Era has also gone far too long without being updated to name just one thing.)  
Anyway, if you enjoyed it, please review.  
*/  
  
/*  
[1]   
Just a pointless note that I didn't want to clog up the text with. This should be funny to those of you who know the old Brittish comedy series 'Allo 'Allo. Once I'd typed:   
"Alright everyone." Shin said, once the entire group had gathered around him. "I will now explain to you why I'm here.  
I had a sudden urge to add "But listen very carefully, I shall say this only once." (with a (heavy) French accent)  
*/ 


	18. Tournament's Conclusion

/*  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ isn't mine, Gohan is, well in my dreams he is at any rate.  
  
Anything between /* and */ is just me budding in, so is anything after // up until the next hard return.  
For those of you that realised, I'm trying to learn to program in C++ as a hobby, that's the origin of the commentary codes.  
  
*/  
  
/*   
  
Response to reviews:  
  
To Lady Queen:  
Well I've kept you waiting a long time again, for reasons noted at the end of this document. I've actually been looking over my shoulder recently, to see if your sister was being sent my way, but if she has been she must operate by way of stealth.  
  
To Lady Foeseeker:  
Well, I had something like writers block again, but here's the next chapter anyway. I suppose Dende maybe playing tricks, or maybe I just really don't want to finish this story cause then it will be over, and the next chapter will be the last.  
  
To Silver Warrior:  
Goku only winning against Vegeta because he could go to level three wasn't cheap, it was due to time constraints, the differences between them were to small for him to win within the time-limit otherwise, though he would have won in the end anyway.  
  
To Ryan:  
Thanks for all the compliments, though the outcome of the tournament may not be what you would like.  
  
To Tabi Chan:  
You're free to use the split-thoughts variation on the splitform, though I would appreciate it if you credit me by putting saying where you first read it.  
  
To George:  
The Buu fight is in this chapter, here's to short and sweet.  
  
To Skate Girl:  
For the Buu fight, see this chapter.  
  
To Everyone:  
Thanks for the reviews and so many of them, sorry for the wait for this chapter.  
  
*/  
  
Life Is Strange  
  
Chapter 18: Tournament's Conclusion  
  
"Kamehameha!"  
"Masenko ha!"  
Gohan felt the rush of power in his body as his voice mixed with his father's, the two beams shooting out at virtually the same time and racing towards each other. Soon they were locked and cancelling each other out, both configured not to push outwards into a big ball, like the showdown with Cell had, as both fighters knew this would damage the Earth, not to mention the arena and the spectators with in.  
  
Concentrating on keeping his beam configuration right he kept pushing, putting everything he had into the showdown.  
The two beams stayed locked with and equal to each other for at least 3 minutes and Gohan was starting to worry about the time. After all they'd started the showdown with only 5 minutes left and now three had passed. That left just two minutes to finish the fight.  
His worries were without reason though as suddenly his dad's beam started to lose power. Apparently Goku was tired, either because this was simply his limit in level three or because the transformation in his fight with Vegeta had weakened him, Gohan wasn't sure.  
Quickly he poured even more energy into the beam, allowing it to overtake his father's even faster and then feeling it connect with his father's body. He kept it up a fraction of a second longer and then ceased the attack, he knew that in that fraction of a second his beam had thrown his dad out of the ring and against the arena wall, keeping it up would only have done further damage to the stadium.  
"And we have a winner!" The announcer yelled. "Son Gohan has defeated his father by a ring out to become the youngest champion this tournament has ever seen."  
As the crowd roared with applause Gohan's eyes looked around, trying to find the attackers Shin had warned him about. To make matters worse he was pushing the limits of how long he could stay in level 3 and he was about to take his chances and power down when he spotted two hideous bald men with strange symbols on their foreheads flying towards him.  
He gritted his teeth and got ready for the assault, it was taking more and more effort to stay in level three, but he couldn't drop out now. Just as the two bad-guys were getting close he let out a yell, flaring his aura around him with all his power, which sent them flying back. He smirked as the two of them looked at each other and then made a run for it.  
  
Videl watched as Gohan quickly dispelled his two attackers using just his Aura and then collapsed as he transformed back to normal. Immediately she rushed forward.  
"Gohan, are you alright?"  
He nodded and smiled, something that always managed to reassure her. "Fine, just suffering from level three exhaustion. I think that's actually the longest I've ever been in it."  
  
Shin smiled as the crooks fled and the girl rushed forward, so far everything was going according to plan, though both Gohan and Goku looked like they might need Kibito to help them recover quickly.  
He made his way outside, along with the others, at a pace somewhat below Videl's.  
"Are you two alright?" He asked Gohan and Goku, who both nodded.  
"We should be good to go in a couple of minutes." Gohan answered. "Level three just takes too much, you can't really get settled in the level. So you're constantly fighting to stay in there, almost as if you're constantly trying to power up."  
Shin nodded, he could understand how difficult that had to be. In fact the short recovery time came as a surprise to him, but these Saiyans seemed to know no limits.  
"Are you two in shape enough to fly?" He asked. "Because I think it would be best for us to start our pursuit right away. These guys aren't exactly fast, but we don't want to risk losing them by giving them too much of a head start."  
Gohan nodded. "I think we should be able to manage. Let's go."  
"Wait!" Videl's voice stopped their take off. "I hate to say this, but I don't think I'd be off much use out there, should I come anyway, or stay here?"  
Gohan's face turned to a look of concern. "I think you'd better stay behind Videl. Maybe you could give some sort of explanation to the crowd about why we're leaving. And then tell mom and Bulma what's going on in more detail."  
  
Videl sighed as she watched the others take off and disappear over the horizon, she really did hate to admit to the fact that she just wasn't up to scratch, by their standards, but getting herself killed didn't particularly appeal to her either. And it wasn't like she couldn't be useful in other ways, though other ways seemed to be limited to delivering public statements and personal messages right now.  
She looked around for a moment to find the announcer and then resolutely approached the surprised, gaping, man.  
She could see him blink a couple of times as she walked over to where he was standing beside the ring, and then something seemed to happen inside of him. It was as though a switch, somewhere in his brain, had been flipped and he was back in announcer mode.  
"Well ladies and gentle men, that was an unexpected exit for our fighters, including the winner, but I see miss Videl coming over here, so maybe she will explain what's going on."  
Videl smiled, though she didn't really feel like it. "A bit of a crisis has come up, requiring immediate attetion." She explained.  
"Could you explain what kind of crisis this is?" The announcer asked.  
She shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Though I can assure you that everything possible is being done."  
  
Chi-Chi felt her heart start to beat decidedly faster when Videl made the announcement, the crowd in general seemed to tense a bit in spite of, or maybe because of, Videl's vagueness. But unlike most of them she was able to guess what sort of 'crisis' it would take to get the Z-fighters to move out in force in this matter.  
I hope they come out all right. She thought.  
She noticed Videl walk away from the announcer and then take to the air, flying over to where she was sitting next to Bulma.  
"Hi Videl." She was sure her voice must sound shaky, no matter how she tried to control it.  
"Hi Chi-Chi, hi Bulma." Videl's smile was reassuring at least.  
  
"Hi Videl." Bulma replied, her voice shaking slightly as well. "What seems to be the problem?"  
"Like I told the announcer, that's a long story, and I think it would be best if we get master Roshi and then find some place private to talk about it."  
"Finding Roshi should be easy." Bulma commented. "Just follow the sound of his face being slapped by the women he hits on."  
Videl smiled at the remark. "I know an easier way, I'll just search out his Ki, it may be low, but not too low to be found."  
Chi-Chi and Bulma nodded at this and the three of them went to find Roshi.  
  
Goten and Trunks had escaped with their mothers' bag of spare clothes a few seconds before Videl had arrived and in the time it took her to talk to Chi-Chi and Bulma they'd changed out of their Mighty Mask costumes.  
"Boy am I glad to have my own clothes back instead of that hideous thing." Trunks commented.  
"Me too Trunks." Goten said. "Those things really looked awful."  
"Yeah, now let's join the adults before we miss all the fun."  
"Yeah, I want to see the Buu monster."  
Trunks nodded and the two of them took off, heading after the grown-ups' Kis.  
  
Shin meanwhile was flying at the head of a V-formation, in pursuit of Babidi's henchmen. Gohan was flying to his right and slightly behind him while Goku mirrored that position to his left. On the right the V continued with Piccolo, #18 and Krillin, while on the left Vegeta, Tien and Yamcha completed the V-form. Kibito was left without anyone to pair up with, but elected to fly in-between #18 and Tien, in Shin's wake.  
The pursuit was going well, the enemy had a head start, but they were rapidly catching up.  
Shin turned his head to the right to look at Gohan.  
"How are you holding up?"  
"Good, I'm nearly fully recovered. Another couple of minutes and I'll be ready to go to level three again, if I have to."  
"I must say, you continue to amaze me."  
"I hope amazing will be enough." Gohan replied. "From what you told us this Majin Buu isn't going to be a push-over."  
Shin nodded and turned his eyes forward again, focused at the two forms slowly becoming visible in the distance.  
After the pursuers had gained a little more ground, or rather air, Shin decided to lower the pace to match that of their targets. There was no reason for, or indeed sense in, coming closer now. That might actually cause the enemy to flee in a different direction, rather than straight to Babidi's ship.  
  
Though none of the adult Z-fighters were aware of it Goten and Trunks made visual contact with them just as they sighted Babidi's henchmen.  
"Look." Goten pointed excitedly as they first glimpsed Krillin and Yamcha. "We're catching up with them."  
Trunks nodded. "Hold here. We don't want one of them to turn and see us."  
"So what do we do when we get there Trunks?"  
Trunks thought for a while. "Well, we could just go down after them and watch, or..."  
"Or what Trunks?"  
"Or we could transform and attack the Buu monster when we get there."  
Goten looked doubtful. "I don't know Trunks, wouldn't that be dangerous?"  
"Come on Goten, where's your sense of adventure? Besides, Gohan was younger than us when he first started fighting, and he wasn't as strong as us then."  
Goten nodded slowly, and Trunks could almost feel his friend weighing the situation, but he was sure Goten would agree. Like Trunks himself Goten had a tremendous respect for Gohan, and in the end the comparison with Gohan would win him over.  
As Trunks mentally looked at this process himself Goten's nod gained some resolve and the two of them started to slowly power up a little, preparing to jump to Super-Saiyan once they arrived where ever it was they were going.  
  
Gohan just followed Shin with his eyes as they flew, but when the purple God raised his hand to signal a stop he diverted his eyes forward as he slowed down. Babidi's thugs were now in the process of landing, apparently they'd arrived at the wizard's ship.  
"Where's the ship?" Gohan whispered to Shin. "I don't see it."  
"Kibito and I looked for it ourselves, shortly after our arrival." Shin answered. "We think it may be hidden under the ground."  
As if on cue something burst through the sand in front of the two men, which looked like an elevator.  
Gohan watched intently as two beings stepped out of the elevator, one of them had to be the wizard, at least Gohan couldn't think of anything else he could be, a short yellowish creature, with an oddly shaped wrinkled head. His companion was quite different, he possessed a tall and broad build, with a long almost rectangular head that sported two small horns and two huge pointed ears.  
Beside him Gohan heard Shin gasp. "Dabura."  
"Who?" Goku questioned from Shin's other side.  
"Dabura." Shin repeated. "The lord of the demon world."  
"Who's he?" Goku asked, somewhat clueless.  
"The lord of the demon world." Shin repeated. "The demon world is a universe parallel to this one, in it Dabura is the strongest fighter. The Demon world is evil so it must be easy for Babidi to control Dabura, he controls his fighters by utilising their inner evil."  
"So we'll have to get past this Dabura to get in?" Vegeta asked impatiently from behind Goku.  
Shin nodded. "Probably, but let's look and see what happens first, I'm not sure what Babidi will do to his men now that they have failed him."  
  
  
As if to answer the question Babidi gestured angrily causing his two thugs to somehow explode.  
"How did he do that?" Vegeta asked. "He has no Ki to speak of."  
"He doesn't." Shin replied. "But he has strong magic, that's quite unlike Ki, once he has control of someone he can do nearly anything to them, unless their minds are strong enough to resist him. Then again those strong enough to resist usually don't let themselves be controlled in the first place."  
"So now what do we do?" Gohan asked as Babidi and Dabura looked like they were about to return to the ship.  
"We attack." Shin answered. "If we can defeat him here Babidi won't be able to free Buu, but be careful around Dabura, his spit turns anyone it touches to stone."  
  
The group nodded and started to power up. Gohan, Goku and Vegeta all powering up to Super-Saiyan level two while the others maximised their strength as best they could.  
The massive Ki activity did not go unnoticed on the ground of course and Babidi and Dabura turned to look at the group of attackers. Even without it having been mentioned the Z-fighters all recognised this as a signal for the entire group. On this joined impulse they rushed forward, Gohan swerving to the right, Vegeta to the left and Goku down the middle in a three pronged Saiyan attack on Dabura with the others rushing after them at random.  
As they attacked Babidi turned again and ran into the elevator to go down, while Dabura stayed outside and guarded his master's escape.  
  
As the elevator closed and Babidi went down Goku swerved upwards to avoid Dabura's spit as the Demon lord was suddenly hit by Gohan and Vegeta's Ki-blasts from either side. As Goku watched from overhead the two blasts quickly reduced the other dimensional villain to a pile of ashes before clashing with each other briefly until they ceased.  
"Well that's it for the Demon lord." He announced.  
The others landed around him.  
"The demon world must be a dull place." Vegeta commented dryly. "If this is the best they have to offer..."  
Shin shook his head and smiled. "This world has just out grown them Vegeta. Frieza would not have faired so well against the demon lord, and yet only a short time ago he was thought to be invincible in this universe."  
"So what do we do now?" The Saiyan prince demanded.  
"We wait." Shin replied. "Already what little sense of magic I have tells me Babidi is working to free Buu, if his attempts are successful we will know soon enough, if they aren't we can just go in and take Babidi, without Buu he is no threat."  
"I thought you said he needed energy to resurrect Buu." #18 said.  
"He didn't need it." Shin replied. "He wanted it, he wanted the energy because without it he has no guarantee of success. Either Buu will arise at full power, or, if the seal has been broken by time, Buu will not arise at all. The energy would have provided the power needed to guarantee succes, but if Babidi is lucky he can make due without it."  
  
As the adults waited on the ground Trunks and Goten waited in the air until they felt a tremendous surge of power from some underground location, as if something enormous had come to life.  
"I think it's the Buu monster Trunks." Goten needlessly informed his friend.  
Trunks nodded. "Get ready Goten, we're going to attack him as soon as he leaves the ship."  
Goten nodded and the two of them turned their eyes forward again, watching as the other fighters distanced themselves from the elevator shaft and faced it, ready to strike. Then there was an explosion and then elevator shaft disappeared in a cloud of smoke from which Babidi emerged with a strange round pink creature, looking more like a clown than a monster, behind him.  
"That must be him Goten." Trunks said. "Attack."  
Goten nodded and they rushed forward at Super-Saiyan speed. The two of them punching Majin Buu at almost exactly the same time. But the results of their punches were unexpected. Buu seemed to simply absorb the punches without even feeling them and then used his big fists to knock both boys unconscious.  
  
"No!" Gohan let out the yell as he saw his little brother fall unconscious to the ground and was vaguely aware of similar yells emanating from his father and Vegeta.   
As the ground started to shake around them Gohan was barely aware of the flaring Auras they emitted. The gold surged them and bluish white bursts of energy crackled around them, as the three Saiyan powered up further.  
Gohan regained his clarity of thought just as he approached the Super-Saiyan three barrier. Not letting up on the surging of energy within him he looked to his left where Vegeta and his dad were also powering up. To Gohan's surprise Vegeta looked like he was about to go to level three as well. But then he realised that for the first time ever Vegeta was powering up, not against them, but with them. The three of them united by the common anger and pain over the two boys' fall. And so, as for only the second time in his life Vegeta prepared to fight, not for himself, but for another, all three of them could feel their hair start to rise further and then grow out down their backs at the same time, as the new level took hold of their bodies.  
It seemed oddly appropriate, the prince of Saiyans, even though the title had become meaningless, flanked by two fellow Saiyans as the three of them powered up to unimaginable levels.   
With a final roar the power-up ended and the three of them looked at each other.  
"Three side attack?" Vegeta asked.  
"No!" Even Gohan was surprised by the urgency in his own voice. "Can't you feel it?"  
"Feel what, brat?"  
"Two Kis inside Buu, they're very small, but they're there. I think it's the two Kais he absorbed, they weren't completely fused with him."  
"So?"  
"So, you might be able to release them." Shin said, from behind the Saiyans.  
"How?"  
"I have an idea." Goku said, surprising everyone. "If one of us could be absorbed too, he might be able to break free himself and then look for the Kais."  
"But if he's absorbed wouldn't that make Buu stronger?" Krillin questioned.  
Shin looked thoughtful. "I don't think so." He said slowly. "Even Buu has to have limits, he can't absorb someone as strong as him, or nearly as strong as him without any effort, so if he's kept busy outside he won't have the strength to fully absorb someone."  
"And then what?" This time Piccolo was the one doing the asking.  
"Then that someone should be able to break free using his Ki, and find the two absorbed Kais. We can sense their Kis, so their individualities are still intact, but their strength is being drained. Whoever is going in will have to somehow destroy whatever connects them to Buu and then get them out of there."  
Gohan nodded. "I'll do that. Just one question, how do I get Buu to absorb me?"  
"Buu absorbs people by encompassing them with part of his body." Shin answered. "Usually he'll split off some of his body, but if you offer him an opportunity that's to good to resist, say by ramming yourself as hard as you can into his stomach, I'm pretty sure he'll absorb you."  
"Any ideas on how to fight the absorption process?"  
"Not really, nobody's ever been absorbed and come back to tell about it. The process is rather physical, so you should be able to dispel it with force."  
Gohan nodded. "Wish me luck."  
He didn't wait for a reply though and rushed forward, launching head first into the pink monster's stomach.  
  
The first thing Gohan had felt as he launched into Buu had been like a rubber band, but as the darkness around him grew, the sensation turned sticky on his skin, like a wad of bubble-gum. Quite appropriate given the monsters pinkish colour. Then it turned cold, as if something was trying to suck his entire being out of him through his skin.  
"Ha!" His surroundings made it hard to yell but he did so anyway as he flared his aura, dispelling the matter that had held him. It fought to retain its grip, but he could sense a new threat vibrating through it that signalled the attack outside had begun. That made him redouble his efforts and after one more burst of energy dispelled the matter completely.  
Gohan looked around in the light of his Ki. He was in what looked like a large cavern, undoubtedly somewhere inside Buu. The walls were the same pinkish colour as the monster's flesh and the floor looked not all together dissimilar, though it had a more greyish tone to it.  
"The entry process must at least have succeeded in changing my size." Gohan remarked. "Otherwise this cavern would be substantially more cramped, or Buu would have had to have been substantially larger."  
Somehow his own analytical voice made him feel a little more confident as he looked around, trying to determine where to go.  
The Ki-signatures of the two Kais seemed to be even fainter inside Buu, though that might be a side effect from the attacks going on outside, which might have caused Buu to draw a greater amount of strength from the two. In the end Gohan managed to locate a general direction for them, and choose a path, which he thought or perhaps hoped more than thought, would lead him to them.  
  
Goku and Vegeta started their attack on Buu as soon as Gohan disappeared inside Buu. Even though they were at level three the monster was quite a challenge, especially when they had to keep it busy, and preferably on the defensive, without killing it.  
"Look out!"  
Goku instinctively dodged as he heard Shin's yell, seeing a beam pass next to him just a fraction of a second later. When he looked over his shoulder to where the beam had struck. To his surprise there wasn't the crater he'd been expecting, but instead a rock that seemed to have transformed into Chocolate.  
"That's Buu's special attack!" Shin explained from the sidelines. "He can turn anyone or anything into what ever food he desires."  
"I see." Goku replied, before jumping back at Buu with a Ki-ball and shooting upwards as it hit.  
He thought for a while as Vegeta took over the offensive, if they could just get Buu started eating instead of fighting, they might be able to drop back to level two without risking too much. That would mean that when the time came and Gohan returned they could jump into level three nearly fresh, which would give them an advantage in time.  
"Hey Vegeta." He called the other Saiyan over and quickly explained the plan in between dodges.  
"That plan might actually work Kakarott." Vegeta replied. "Though only someone like you who's even food-crazy by Saiyan standards could think of it."  
Goku smiled. "I'll see if I can put the plan into action then."  
  
Gohan suddenly felt Buu's energy level drop, but not from an attack, for some reason Buu wasn't fighting anymore, though he could still very vaguely sense everyone's power-signatures in tact outside Buu, so Buu hadn't won.  
Thanks to Buu's lower power needs the draw on the powers he was sensing was far less, which meant that his reading was now clearer as he made his way down the path he's chose. He continued for about a minute until the path suddenly turned to the left, away from where he was sensing the Kais.  
He stopped in the turn and did his best to sense them again, it felt as though they were right on the other side of the wall, the only problem was how to get there and how to get out.  
"First things first." He remarked aloud. "This wall can eat Ma-Sen-Ko-Ha!"  
His blast broke through the wall and Gohan felt another change in Buu's power as he rushed through. The gap he'd blasted in the strangely flexible material of Buu's body closed behind him, but that didn't matter, he was through.  
He could feel something else in Buu wake up, and internal part of the monster's Ki signature, probably some sort of immune system, but from what he could tell it was still a long way away. The room he was in was dark, but the light from his still glowing hair took care of that. Allowing him to see by its dim glow. In front of him were two balls of whatever material Buu was made of suspended between ceiling and floor by things that looked like a cross between threads and pillars.  
"Let's see what happens when I cut those things." Gohan mused aloud, before slicing them with two wide Ki-discs, hitting the upper two with one and the bottom two with the other. Instantly he could feel Buu change around him and he swept forward to take up the two large balls by what was left of the system that had suspended them. Flaring his Ki he took off toward a small opening he could see above him. The next thing he knew he was hit by a gust of steam, that seemed to be coming from inside Buu and heading out. He extended his Ki to protect both himself and the two cocooned Kais he was carrying as they were blown outside by whatever was affecting Buu.  
  
Shin looked in amazement as Buu went from fighting to eating transformed rocks one minute, which was all the time it took for someone to knock out the protesting Babidi and then from eating to doing his steam charge a couple of minutes later. To his great surprise Gohan suddenly appeared in one of the steam vents, carrying two large ball-shaped cocoons in which he could sense the Kais Ki-signatures quite clearly now. Meanwhile Goku and Vegeta were both yelling next to him, regaining their Super-Saiyan Three forms as Buu was turned back into the smaller, faster monster he'd originally been. Gohan threw away the cocooned Kais rather disrespectfully before landing with his face turned to Buu, and even over the combined noises of Goku, Vegeta and Buu he could still hear Gohan's shout.  
"Dad, Vegeta. Prepare to hit him from three sides as soon as you finish your power up."  
The two older Saiyans actually managed to nod through their scream and Shin couldn't help but admire the way in which they managed to keep at least part of their concentration on battle and strategy at all times.  
The two Saiyans' power up was complete just before Buu's steam was finished and as the monster prepared to attack Shin's ears threatened to jump of his head because of the sound of three Saiyans yelling with all their might.  
  
"Ka Me Ha Me Ha!" "Ma Sen Ko Ha!" and "Gallick Gun Fire!" All mingled in the air a fraction of a second before the three beams struck Buu with an amazing force, unlike anything Shin had felt before.  
Then suddenly it was over. Buu's power was completely gone and the three beams were holding each other in check where he'd once stood.  
"Cut beams!" Goku yelled, giving the example, and the others followed in a fraction of a second.  
Gohan fell down panting as soon as he did, his hair returning to its short black mode. "We did it." The young Saiyan panted before loosing consciousness.  
  
The first thing Gohan saw when his eyes opened was Videl, bending over him, with some sort of tent like canopy behind her. He quickly moved up his head and pecked her on the lips.  
"Hi there."  
"Hi yourself sleeping beauty." Videl commented.  
  
"How long have I been out?"  
"Only half an hour."  
"Good then there's still time."  
"Time for what."  
"To get married today."  
"Yeah, you still have to go through the awards ceremony first though, and be introduced to the two Kais you rescued."  
He nodded. "I suppose we do have a few things to do before we can start our honeymoon."  
She bent down and pecked him on the lips this time. "You mean YOU have a few things to do. I've already met the Kais and I don't have to pick up any prices."  
She smiled just a little wryly at that, but grinned broadly immediately afterwards. "I could always torture Erasa with my nerves just to get even with her." She managed before she started giggling. "But you really should get up and meet the Kais. Then we can get a move on."  
He nodded and got up, bringing her up with him.  
As he looked around he realised what had happened, someone had put a capsule tent over him.  
"I must have been out pretty bad." He concluded. "For them to put up a tent..."  
Videl nodded. "Kibito tried to replenish your energy and then Dende came and tried as well, but you were still out of it. According to your dad you held your level three form for nearly twenty-five minutes."  
"I didn't think it was that long, but if it was it's no surprise I passed out." Gohan said. "But let's get going."  
  
Goku smiled as he son walked out of the tent armed with his daughter in law to be. Gohan had definitely set a new endurance record for level three, though he'd been closer to pay for it with his life than most of the others realised. But that was fine, there was no need for them to know and worry.  
"Gohan." Shin approached. "Allow me to introduce the Grand Supreme Kai and the South  
Supreme Kai. Fellow Kais, this is Gohan, the one who rescued you."  
He presented Gohan to the two men.  
Even in the short while he'd known them Goku had already got down the basics of both new Kai's characters and their greetings to Gohan were in kind.  
The South Supreme Kai was a burly, muscular fighter and greeted his saviour with a clap on the back and loud praise, while the Grand Supreme Kai was a kindly old, almost grandfather like figure and greeted Gohan with a rather ceremonious bow and spoke his words of gratitude softly.  
Gohan talked with both Kais for a while, but it was evident that everyone knew they had to get back to the tournament and take care of things there. Once that was done, Goku reminded himself, there was still a wedding to be held.  
Still the Kais were anxious to get back to their planet, except for Shin who was staying at least for the wedding, by Videl's invitation, so after the short temporary introductions the Kai's left, teleported by Kibito, and the rest of them took to the sky and headed for the Tournament Arena.  
  
  
  
/*  
Next time on Life is Strange, the awards ceremony takes place and Gohan and Videl are going to be married. And sadly, this fic will have to end.  
  
Yes, the above is true, the next chapter will be the end, at least for now. I guess that's part of what's making these last chapters so hard to write, I have to finish everything up and leave no loose ends. Other than that I have been rather occupied with other things and have had some trouble hitting my stride in this story, not quite writer's block, but writing it has been a struggle.  
*/ 


	19. Life Is Strange

Disclaimer: DBZ isn't mine, Gohan is, well in my dreams he is at any rate.

Well it's taken a while. I sort of got side-tracked (for over three years), but it's finally finished. I'm not sure what kept me from finishing it earlier. The thing that had me stumped at the time was how to handle the wedding. I hope I've come up with a satisfactory way of handling that. Read and find out!

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Life Is Strange

Chapter 19: Life Is Strange

Gohan smiled as the tournament stadium came back into view. He'd thought that the meeting with the Kais might take hours, but they'd been almost as anxious to get back to their planet as he was to get on with it and get to his wedding. That, he supposed, was actually logical in retrospect. Even though it was as yet unclear whether or not they would take back over from Shin to some extend they had to at least be wondering what had been happening in the galaxy for the last couple of hundred millennia.  
As he flew in Gohan was greeted by a storm of applause, as every man, woman and child in the stadium rose to join a standing ovation. He was flying in the lead this time, with Videl slightly behind and beside him. The others were behind them in a loose formation, grouped together based on who they were chatting with and followed at the back of the pack by Bulma, Chi-Chi, Oolong, Puar and Roshi in Bulma's jet-copter.  
The jet-copter couldn't land in the stadium of course, but the rest of them could and did. Landing dispersed over the ring, as the announcer approached them.  
"Well everybody it looks like the crisis has been averted, so let's hear what our heroes have to say about it"  
With a speed that was truly admirable in an untrained human the announcer managed to get the microphone in front off Gohan's mouth.  
"Um, yeah..." Gohan's mind was racing as he tried to think of something to say. The truth of the matter was that he hadn't expected that question at all and now had to try to figure out what to say and, more importantly, what not to say, on the spot. "There's nothing much to tell really." Well there was nothing much he wanted to tell at any rate. "As you say the crisis has been averted and that's really pretty much all there is to it"  
Fortunately the crowd chose to burst out again at this point, smothering any possible follow-up questions.  
With just a hint of suspicion, and gratitude, Gohan looked up, rather symbolically, and whispered 'thank you' at the two old Supreme Kais. There was little doubt in his mind that they had been the ones behind the outburst that had saved him. Basic crowd manipulation had to be easy for a Kai with millions of years of experience after all. Sort of like riding a bicycle.  
"Uhm, well, all right." The announcer seemed just a little put out at not getting any more detail, but that, Gohan decided, was his problem. "Then I think it's time for us to move on to the prise giving ceremony, ladies and gentlemen."

Some of the organisation needed for the ceremony had already taken place in advance, while the Z-fighters were away, fighting Buu. But not all of it, which meant there was still a small wait as the ring was transformed. The most important part of that transformation were of course the five podia, arranged in descending order of height, for the prise-winners to stand on. Next was a large red carpet, stretching out in front of the podia and a ring-side space being cleared for the press.  
That last provision wasn't as much to Gohan's liking as the others, but it seemed the press were a necessary evil at this type of event, even if they were more dangerous than the monster he'd just faced, in their own special way.  
He certainly hadn't forgotten about the episode at school where they'd actually smuggled the camera in, and he wouldn't be surprised if this was going to be even more intense.  
Finally, almost as an after thought two more podia were added, equal to each other in height, though it seemed that on one of them the height had been raised through improvisation. Which Gohan realised must be for the junior tournament which had, after all, had two winners, rather than a winner and a runner up.

The ceremony itself passed in a daze for Gohan. He cheered during the ceremony for Goten and Trunks. But his thoughts kept wondering ahead to what would happen later. And he barely noticed as the others made their way to the podiums one by one. Everyone was handed their award once they were there and then remained standing until he was summoned. The cheering was deafening as everyone in the entire stadium rose and Gohan felt himself get a little nervous. All the eyes in the stadium were on him, and while that had been fine while he was fighting it was now more than a little unsettling.  
He was finally called to his own podium, and, amid more cheers and more flashes from the reporters the champions belt was handed to him, along with the check for his prise-money. Later he vaguely recalled handing the check to his mom, for save keeping, as he went of to talk to various interviewers.

The interviews were short, and predictable. Mostly questions about fighting Videl, fighting his dad, fighting Mr. Satan and the energy techniques, the latter of which were answered with suitable vagueness.  
After they were done Gohan immediately went to find Videl again. They only had a little while left before they would each have to make their own preparations for the wedding, and they talked very little preferring to keep each other company as they dealt with their own thoughts.

Gohan was just about ready when he spotted Shin.  
"I hope you aren't offended." He said quickly.  
The purple man raised an eyebrow. "Why should I be offended"  
"Dende is doing the ceremony." Gohan reminded him. "He's junior to you"  
Shin laughed. "Trust me, I prefer it like this. I haven't been to a wedding without being asked to do the ceremony for over a hundred thousand of your years. It's nice to go through one without having to go through all the formalities"  
Gohan smiled. "In that case, have fun"  
"You too Gohan." Shin replied. "Though I've been told participants are supposed to be too nervous to have fun"  
"I'll try to make an exception." Gohan said. "Though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous."

One look at the pavilion that had been set up on Tournament Island made Gohan wonder about the choice of location. It looked wonderful, set in the forest on the island, but part of him wondered if the look out wouldn't have been more private. There was a chance of someone finding out exactly where in these woods they were, even if it was just a slim chance.  
I shouldn't be worrying about that. He admonished himself. Then again anything is better than worrying about the wedding itself. Sharpner and Erasa were a good case for why you should never worry about the wedding when it's just about to take place. Nerves on that level are not a good thing. It's out of my hands now anyway.  
He felt strangely calm at that acceptance. The wedding was out of his hands now. All he could do was follow Shin's advice and enjoy it.

Videl looked at the pavilion, already filling with guests. Mostly Gohan's friends and family, but Sharpner and Erasa were there as well. It was a very idyllic setting, the light was provided by torches lining the isle and the first green leaves of the surrounding jungle barely in the light. It was also a very private setting, and unlike she'd expected, and feared, for a long time there was no press in any way, shape or form. In fact her entire life had been noticeable less disturbed by the press since she'd gotten to know Gohan. Something about him seemed to block out the press, keeping them at a distance. Or maybe Gohan's defence of his own privacy had just cancelled out her father's nearly instinctive attempts to draw as much attention to himself as possible. And now she was about to marry him. With no press and just their close friends. It almost seemed to good to be true, and Videl had to think very hard to ignore the old statement that if it seemed to good to be true, it couldn't be true.  
She was already dressed for the wedding, in fact it was just minutes away and she was hovering among the trees waiting for the signal for her entrance.  
A tremendous amount of debate had gone into the ceremony. Spanning everything from otherworld ceremonies, to Namekian bonding rituals, to plain old Earth. In the end only the 'I do's and the 'I now declare you man and wife' had been kept from the traditional earth ceremony, the rest of it had been constructed from all other sources under Dende's supervision.

The signal came after what seemed like an eternity. A huge silver bowl appeared about five feet from the front of the pavilion. As Videl and Gohan floated into the pavilion from opposite sides a pillar of blue fire and energy rose up in it. By the time they'd landed on either side of Dende the fire was nearly as high as the pavilion's roof and its strong blue light had overwhelmed the red glow of the torches along the centre isle.  
"The fire burns in each of us." Dende's voice was far more powerful than it had been when Videl had met him before. "But in no two people does it burn the same"  
Videl almost flinched as a tendril of blue fire reached out to her, momentarily turning the whole pillar an even deeper blue. Then it reached out to Gohan and the fire turned golden.  
"The fire in these two is different, but the same." As Dende spoke the fire went first back to its basic blue, then to partly deep blue and partly golden, finally merging again into the regular blue. "The fire is strength and it is love. It is strength grown from love and love that begins in strength. Because strength is greatest in those who join together willingly, and love is greatest when the mind is strong enough to accept it. So now these two have accepted love and seek to join in strength. Is the fire within you the same"  
"One fire burns in both of us." Videl and Gohan responded in unison.  
"Does anyone doubt these two share the fire"  
Videl felt Gohan looked just a little too threateningly at the assembled guests, but no-one expressed any doubts. It wasn't quite like a state your objections moment anyway since the sacred fire had already accepted them and blended them together. It could be made to do so again, but a second blending was unlikely to fail, or so she'd been told, and if it succeeded the ceremony would have proceeded regardless of any objections.  
"Then it is decided, only their own will shall determine their fate. Gohan do you willingly enter into this bond with Videl and accept what the sacred fire shall give you"  
"I do." Gohan's voice was enviably steady.  
"And Videl, do you willingly enter into this bond with Gohan and accept what the sacred fire shall give you"  
"I do." Videl thought she'd managed to sound almost as stable as Gohan had, even though her heart was trying to set a new speed record.  
As the fire reached for them again Videl felt Gohan's Ki spike for a few seconds. There was clearly some defensive instinct at work there, and she was relieved to notice it, not because Gohan needed to defend himself, but because it meant he too was nervous. This time the fire enveloped them both fully and burned for a moment that seemed like an eternity all around them. Then it withdrew and Videl noticed a weight around her neck. A glance down showed her the amulet the fire had left her, silver with a blue stone that seemed to sparkle with a light of its own. Gohan too, she noticed, had received an amulet. It was identical to hers, but the stone in his sparkled with a golden yellow light.  
"A bit of the fire remains in each of the gems." Dende said quietly. "By the authority given to me as the God of Earth, and with the blessings of the sacred fire I declare you man and wife. You may now kiss each other"  
Although it was no longer required by the protocol of the ceremony they floated once again, closing the final few feet between them. Finally Videl gave herself a little nudge up to level her face with Gohan's as his arms slid around her. Their lips met softly, just long enough to be sensuous, but briefly enough to remain decent.

Gohan was glad when the wedding was over. He'd enjoyed the ceremony, in spite of some nervousness, but everything after the kiss he would gladly have skipped. Still it was expected that the bride and groom take at least a little time to talk to their guests and thank everyone for their presence. Now after two hours of doing just that they were ready to leave for their honeymoon.  
"Are you coming dear." He asked his wife.  
Videl nodded. "Of course. As soon as you tell me where it is we're flying to"  
"Piccolo's island. You know, where I first told you all about me"  
A momentary shadow passed over her face. He recalled, as she did, that it had also been the scene of their first confrontation with her father. But it was remote and.  
"There's a beach there, on another side of the island than where we were, that's quite idyllic. There's a capsule house waiting for us there, all luxuries installed, for our honeymoon"  
"Sounds gorgeous." Videl said.  
She launched herself into the air and Gohan followed, playfully pulling ahead of her as if to race.  
"Chauvinist!" Videl accused him.  
"Now, now." He grinned at her. "This is no time to be starting domestic spats. Let's wait until after the honeymoon for that"  
"I will if you behave"  
He gave a melodramatic sigh, with another grin. "The old ball and chain is making herself felt I see"  
That earned him a good natured punch as they started crossing the ocean.  
"I wish I could describe just how much I love you." Videl told him quietly.  
"It can't be more than I love you." He told her.  
Videl looked at him and suddenly grinned. "Could you have predicted we'd ever say something like that back when I was still trying to unmask you"  
"Never in a million years." He said. "Things can turn out in ways you'd never expect"  
"Life is strange." Videl told him.  
"True words indeed. Life is strange."

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Well that's it. The end!  
It's taken me far too long to finish, but finally it has been finished. The second half of this chapter is probably the best writing in the fic, since I had a few years more experience when I wrote it. Though I doubt it was worth the wait, but well this sort of slipped my mind between other projects (mostly original fiction I hope to get published some day). No next time on Life Is Strange any longer. I hope you've enjoyed reading it, even the story text alone - no responses to reviews, next time ons, closing remarks or explanations of delays included - comes in at well over 100K words, 107K and a bit according to OpenOffice. 


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